Iraq’s Abdul Mahdi announces list of legislative, financial reforms

Iraq’s Abdul Mahdi announces list of legislative, financial reforms
October 6, 2019, 9:06 am

A series of reforms in response to protesters’ demands, including allowing low-income residents to apply for residential land, will be enforced, Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi announced during an emergency government session on Saturday, according to Iraqi TV.

“We call on all political forces to cooperate in providing all the conditions for reform,” the prime minister said.

The reforms also included the decision to distribute residential plots to beneficiaries, support interest-free housing credit programs to increase the number of borrowers, as well as offer unemployment benefits to 150,000 people who don’t have the ability to work, and provide more employment opportunities for the youth.

The Iraqi government is also committed to bringing corrupt officials to justice, Abdul Mahdi said during the session.

Protestors and security officials who were killed during the demonstrations will be considered martyrs, and their families will be compensated, Abdul Mahdi said, adding that the Ministry of Health will be providing free medical services for those who have been wounded in the rallies.

The government will continue to make additional reforms during upcoming sessions, according to the prime minister.

Several proposals have been made to provide legislative, financial, and administrative reforms, Abdul Mahdi added.

Protests against chronic unemployment, poor public services, and widespread corruption erupted in the capital and across the country on Tuesday, the parliament’s human rights commission said.

The death toll from mass protests neared 100 on Saturday, while more than 3,000 perople have also been injured, as the unrest entered its fifth day, a rights panel said.

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