“Abadi is the only one now who is able to make the change; he has the support of the people, Marjiya and the worldwide community and all the political blocs understand this very well”, said Jobouri.
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The president’s power is largely ceremonial, but the president’s deputies have real sway. He succeeded Mr. Maliki, who was criticized for worsening the divides among Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities.
Abadi also called for an end to the practice of allocating government posts on the basis of party or sectarian quotas.
But it was unclear Sunday if al-Abadi would need a constitutional amendment to eliminate the vice president positions.
The cabinet and parliament must approve the measures, which were announced in a statement.
A handout picture released by Iraq’s Prime Minister’s office on…
There was some opposition to the plan, however. “The constitution is decrepit, the legal framework is woefully inadequate and the political class is utterly corrupt and incompetent”, said Zaid Ali, author of “The Struggle For Iraq’s Future”.
“Abadi, put them in jail”, and “Bye bye Nouri al-Maliki”, they chanted on Sunday. Abolishing the post would be a blow to Maliki but would also set the prime minister on a collision course with his rival, who is from the same Dawa party and still wields significant influence.
Iraq’s system of sharing government posts between sectarian groups has long been criticized for promoting unqualified candidates and encouraging corruption.
In their second week the protests grew more political, particularly after the powerful and revered Shiite Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani lent his support to the protests.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (L), pictured in June at the G7 summit, has called for sweeping …
“We are starting today genuine reform in all areas”, Abadi said in a statement.
Protesters across the country’s south and in Baghdad have called on their leaders to set aside sectarian rhetoric and focus on solving basic problems that affect daily lives such as power and water supplies.
Baghdad and several cities in southern Iraq have been swept by a string of protests against the poor quality of services, including worsening power outages that have coincided with searing summer temperatures.
Hours after announcing the plan Sunday, the cabinet started an extraordinary meeting to discuss the protesters’ demands and the plans put forth by al-Abadi.
But Abadi s efforts face major challenges. By means of his spokesman, Ahmed al-Safi, al-Sistani stated the prime minister have to be extra “daring and brave” in his steps to reform the federal government, urging him to strike “with an iron fist anybody who’s tampering with the individuals’s cash”.
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Iraq ranked 170 of 175 countries in Transparency International’s 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index.
