Iraqi parliament approves PM Abdul Mahdi’s resignation

Iraqi legislators have approved Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s resignation during a parliament session held in capital Baghdad, according to Aljazeera.

Referring to Article 76 of the country’s constitution, Speaker Mohammad al-Halbusi on Sunday said President Barham Saleh will now ask the largest political bloc in parliament to nominate the next prime minister.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi announced Friday that he would submit his resignation to parliament in a bid to curb two months of protests.

Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi decided to announce his resignation after top Shia Cleric in Iraq Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on the parliament on Friday to approve the new election law and pave the way for holding new elections.

The statement by the Iraqi PM’s office said that Abdul Mahdi’s resignation was aimed at preserving the blood of Iraqis after hundreds are reported to have been killed in deadly foreign-orchestrated riots and protests. The death toll was rising among both the demonstrators and the security forces recently.