Political paralysis in Iraq as anti-government protesters harden stance

BAGHDAD — Iraqi protesters step up their demonstrations today with the authorities in Baghdad increasingly paralyzed as they seek a way out of a political impasse.

Once again the capital’s iconic Tahrir Square began filling early in the day, with protesters making clear their opposition to names touted by the establishment to fill the post of prime minister.

Portrait pictures of these candidates — marked by a huge red cross — increasingly adorn facades of buildings and tents in the protest area.

And once again the main avenues and roads in cities in the south of the country are blocked, as well as entrances to schools, universities and government buildings.

After dwindling in recent weeks, the civil disobedience campaign has rediscovered its vigor, as the protesters seek to uproot a political system condemned as deeply corrupt.

Negotiations over a candidate to replace premier Adel Abdel Mahdi, who quit in November in the face of protests against corruption and unemployment, have remained deadlocked since the latest in a series of deadlines expired at midnight on Sunday.

While a pro-Iran camp has tried to impose a candidate, Iraqi President Barham Saleh has reportedly put up resistance.

For Iraqis protesting since October 1, the system installed by the United States after it led a military coalition to overthrow dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003 has become overly beholden to Iran and is beyond reform.

— AFP