Iraq’s parliament speaker pledged Saturday that if authorities do not respond to protesters’ demands then he will join their ranks.
SPEAKER: I WILL TAKE TO THE STREETS AMONG THEM
“If the demands of the protesters are not met, I will take to the street along with them,” Mohamed al-Halbousi told reporters in the capital Baghdad, calling on the protesters’ representatives to attend the next session of parliament to discuss their demands.
Halbousi also urged them not to clash with security forces but to continue demanding their legitimate rights. He also promised to fight corruption, saying: “The disaster of corruption is no different than terrorism.”
He urged the government to identify the ringleaders of corruption in order to hold them accountable.
Halbousi also assured the protesters that money has been allocated for building around 100,000 houses, a project he said would offer employment to around a million people. “Higher education graduates will be given higher opportunities and personnel recruitment will start,” he said, adding that over a million low-income families will be financially supported by parliament.
At least 100 people have been killed and more than 2,500 others injured in the protests, according to an anonymous official from Iraq’s Health Ministry.