Page 14 - Issue-15

ELITE ISSUE 15, JANUARAY 2020 PAGE 14
IRAQI PROTESTS:

A POLITICAL SYSTEM

DEADLOCK

Dr. Haidar Muthana , Researcher at The Iraqi House of
Representatives

translated by: Asmaa Elsafty, revised by: Dina Ehab

Nowadays Iraq is witnessing a state of popular boiling(anger) and
demonstrations that have been going on since 1/10/2019, but the way
to confront these demonstrations, which were punctuated by many
instances of violence without achieving all the demands, which led to
the expansion of its scope and the escalation of the demands ceiling
from the service to the dismissal of the government and parliament
and the rejection of the parties Political process, to change the
Electoral Commission and conduct early elections under the
supervision of the nation or the common wealth, change the election
law and amend the age for running for parliamentary elections,
leading to the rejection of the entire political process.

Although the demonstrators raising the slogan of (peaceful
However, the remarkable thing is that the new generation who is
demonstrations) and their refusal to use violence, the levels of
leading the demonstrations has begun to establish a culture far
violence practiced against them by the security services and armed
from the sectarian, ethnic and racial divide that had prevailed in
militias portend the seriousness of the situation that could lead to
Iraq after the American occupation, and had caused embarrassment
armed confrontations between the two sides, especially after the death
to the Islamic political stream that had been leading the political
of more than (640) demonstrators and ( 17) One thousand wounded ,
process after the year 2003, which posed a real threat to its gains.
and here the three authorities began to take several steps to address
Although The government had resigned, this did not lead to calm
these demonstrations, which was the formation of committees by the
in the Iraqi street as the sit-ins and demonstrations are continuing,
Council of Ministers to meet the demonstrators and know their
in addition to the student strike, which entered its eighth week,
demands, as it worked on launching (5) reform packages, while the
aiming at this to change the entire political process, all the way to
House of Representatives, which was supportive and involved in the
get rid of the Iranian influence and interference mainly. The
demonstrations, was also adopting a reform package , and also the
unified slogan for the demonstrators in all the sit-down squares of
power of a Judicial, which began to solve many of delayed cases,
the governorates is (We want a homeland), which refers to the
either the most prominent demands of the demonstrators, were
change of attitudes of the Iraqi people ’s opinion towards building a
represented in the following:
homeland without sects, nationalities and divisions that will

achieve their dreams of a decent life and achieve development for
1. Service demands: provide public services in residential areas,
all sectors.
provide housing units, end the problem of electricity and water,
provide employment opportunities, and improve the health sector.
2. Economic demands: activate the industrial, agricultural, and
investment sectors.
3. Political demands: ending Iranian influence, getting rid of
corruption, amending the constitution, ending sectarian quotas,
separating religion from politics, abolishing provincial councils and
moving towards full independence.
In the same context, the demonstrators expressed their desire to
nominate an independent prime minister who would be from outside
the personalities and parties participating in the political process that
was established in 2003 till now, and this is because of lack of
confidence in them, which put the Iraqi political currents in an
unenviable position.

ELITE ISSUE 15, JANUARAY 2020 PAGE 14