Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has rejected the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s call for early elections, amid anti-government protests that have been ongoing in capital Baghdad and other major cities.
In remarks on Tuesday, Saad Hadithi, a spokesperson for the Iraqi government, said that, based on the Constitution, the early elections cannot be held before the Parliament is dissolved and that only the Council of Representatives can dissolve itself.
Meanwhile, representatives of Saairun bloc at the Iraqi Parliament refused to accept the premier's refusal and demanded that Abdul-Mahdi be summoned to the parliament and present his package of reforms prepared to resolve the current situation in the country.
In a statement on Twitter released on Monday, Sadr urged Abdul-Mahdi to announce early elections in the country, to be overseen by the United Nations.