Iraq protesters reject nomination for new PM
Iraqi protesters have rejected Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s nomination to become the country’s new prime minister.
Al-Sudani is a frontrunner to head Iraq’s interim government amid ongoing protests which forced the resignation of former Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi in November.
At least 400 people have been killed at the hands of security forces and unidentified assailants firing live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the demonstrations since they erupted in October.
At Tahrir Square, the focal point for the spontaneous, leaderless protests over long-standing grievances including government corruption, unemployment and a lack of basic services, demonstrators voiced their opposition against al-Sudani’s nomination.
One protester said al-Sudani, who resigned from the powerful Shiite Dawa and became an independent candidate, was still a “biased party member” and would prefer someone who comes from “inside the revolution,” referring to the protests.