(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Thousands of Iraqis demonstrated against corruption in Baghdad's Tahrir Square yesterday, including supporters of powerful Shia cleric Muqtada Al Sadr.
Protesters have taken to the streets of Baghdad and cities in the Shia south for weeks, railing against rampant corruption and abysmal services, especially power outages that leave just a few hours of government-supplied electricity per day during the scorching summer heat. Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi has responded to the demonstrations and a call from Iraq's top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, with a reform programme aimed at curbing corruption and streamlining the government, but it is still in its early stages.
At yesterday's demonstration, hundreds waved Iraqi flags and chanted anti-corruption slogans as in previous weeks, but this time the crowd also included supporters of Sadr, responding to his call to take part.
Sadrists, many of them dressed in black, chanted slogans including "Bye bye Nouri Al Maliki" and called for the ex-premier, whose eight years in office were marked by widespread graft, to be executed. "We came out (to protest) in support of the reforms that were announced by Prime Minister Abadi. We want to push and support the state in implementing them," said Nafia Al Bakhaki, an official in the Sadr movement.
"All the officials in the previous governments, especially Maliki's government, are responsible for corruption," said Sheikh Samir Al Zraijawi, also from the Sadr movement. Some did not welcome the involvement of supporters of Sadr, who had ministers in Maliki's governments and still wields significant influence despite seeking to officially distance himself from politics as he pursues religious studies.
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