Iraq president vows early polls when new electoral law passed

31 October 2019, 4:45 pm

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Iraq’s president calls for a new election law and says he will approve early elections once it is enacted, in response to anti-government protests.

President Barham Salih expresses support for the protesters in a prime-time address this afternoon, but says the sweeping changes they are calling for would need to be enacted through constitutional means. He says Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has expressed a willingness to resign once political leaders agree on a replacement.

Iraqi demonstrators chant slogans and wave their country’s national flags during ongoing anti-government demonstrations at Tahrir Square in the capital Baghdad, on October 30, 2019. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Iraq has seen two waves of mass protests this month, with at least 250 protesters killed in clashes with security forces. The protesters have demanded the resignation of the government and the overhaul of the political system put in place after the 2003 US-led invasion.

— AP