“It was unanimously approved”, parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi announced to applause after the vote, which was held without a debate as soon as the plan was read.
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Abadi’s move of reform measures came after massive demonstrations in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and several other cities in the south to protest against slack public services, power shortage, and massive corruption.
Al-Jabouri said he hoped that “today’s move will be the first and not the last to continue in the path of the reform with the same spirit and without any hesitation”.
Many Iraqis protested over the weekend against government corruption and the lack of efficient public services.
The plan, unveiled Sunday by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, would cut spending and eliminate the offices of the three vice presidents and the three deputy prime ministers, largely symbolic positions where appointments have long been determined by party patronage and sectarian loyalties.
According to Parliament Speaker Saleem al-Jabouri, the reform package was adopted unanimously in a session of parliament attended by 295 deputies.
Abadi, who has struggled to build broad political support for meaningful reform, received a boost from senior Shi’ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in his sermon on Friday.
On Sunday, Abadi declared his plan that also included reduction of ministries and agencies in order to increase efficiency in the performance of the government and reduce expenditures.
He proposed scrapping Iraq’s multiple vice president and deputy prime minister positions, now shared out along sectarian lines. The plunge in crude prices and Iraq’s battle against Islamic State militants has depleted the state coffers, and the government recently took a bailout from the global Monetary Fund to meets its budget deficit.
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The reforms also expand the powers of the prime minister, allowing him to sack provincial governors and the heads of provincial and local councils. The octogenarian, who wields authority few Iraqi politicians would openly challenge, urged Abadi to “strike with an iron fist” against corruption.
