Iraqi Shi'ite leader wants every citizen to get share of oil wealth
Date
3/22/2016 9:20:17 AM
(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Prominent Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has called on the government to provide every Iraqi citizen with a share of the country's expanding oil revenues.
Sadr made his call at a large rally in Baghdad on March 21 where he also demanded that a technocrat government of non-affiliated politicians be installed in Iraq to fight corruption.
Sadr's speech to supporters also called for an improvement in public services and for an economic revival to help end high unemployment.
Iraq has some of the largest crude oil reserves in the world but ranks 161 out of 168 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index for 2015.
Sadr's followers have held regular protests for most of the last month to demand a new government be formed.
Sadr is the leading Shi'ite leader in Iraq.
Based on reporting by Reuters and Al-Arabiya
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