Iraqi Authorities Lift Baghdad Curfew
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iraqi authorities lifted a days-long curfew in Baghdad on Saturday after calm returned to the Arab country’s capital.
Traffic ran as normal through the Iraqi capital and streets and main squares were otherwise quiet, Reuters reported on Saturday.
Officials from Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s office met protest leaders from Baghdad and other provinces to discuss their demands, state television reported.
Abdul Mahdi and President Barham Salih said they would seek to meet the demands, state television also reported, but gave no details how exactly they would respond.
The country’s parliament speaker proposed on Friday improving public housing for the poor and job opportunities for young people, as well as holding those who had killed protesters to account.
Powerful Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has a mass popular following and controls a large chunk of parliament, demanded on Friday that the government resign and snap elections be held. At least one other major parliamentary grouping allied itself with Sadr against the government.
Parliament was set to meet on Saturday to discuss protesters’ demands.