Iraqi parliament approves Abadi's reform package
Prime Minister al-Abadi had proposed measures to reduce corruption and save money in the face of mounting unrest
Iraq's parliament has voted to unanimously approve Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi’s reform package, Speaker Saleem al-Jabouri said during a session on Tuesday broadcast live on state television.
Abadi had proposed measures to reduce corruption and save money in the face of mounting unrest. They include eliminating a layer of senior government positions, ending sectarian and party quotas for government positions and reopening corruption investigations.
Amid a major heatwave that has seen temperatures top 50 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit), protesters have railed for weeks against the poor quality of services, especially power outages that leave just a few hours of government-supplied electricity per day.
Thousands of people have turned out in Baghdad and various cities in the Shiite south to vent their anger at the authorities.
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