Iraqi Najaf province governor resigns after mass protests | News

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Louai al-Yasseri’s resignation comes after harsh criticism from the famous Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr.
The governor of Najaf province in Iraq has resigned, leaving another governor after living conditions and anti-corruption protests, and a day later.
Louai al-Yasser resigned from his leadership in Najaf, central Iraq, on Friday after the governor of the southern province of Nasiriya violently ousted protesters.
Their outbursts underscore Iraq’s war-torn challenges and how little has changed protests which took over the capital Baghdad and the southern regions of the nation two years ago.
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets to express their anger over corruption, unemployment and the collapse of public services, and hundreds lost their lives as a result of the violence associated with the protest.
Al-Yasser announced at a press conference that he would step down in the holy Shiite city, according to the official Iraqi News Agency.
His resignation came as a royal author after harsh criticism from the famous Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr. legislative elections in October.
Al-Sadr paid a public visit to the town of Najaf on Wednesday, “after reporting corruption and shortcomings in this organization,” according to the news agency.
“We will work to remove and legally replace the governor of Najaf,” he said.
On Friday evening, al-Sadr welcomed the governor’s resignation as a “step in the right direction.”
In recent weeks, regularly demonstrations They exploded in Najafen and neighboring Diwaniya province, as well as in Nasiriyah.
Demonstrators condemned living conditions and demanded job opportunities for young graduates.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi held a security meeting on Wednesday to discuss the protests, where he reiterated the need to prevent the “use of force or firing”.
The next day, Nasiriya Governor Ahmed Ghani Khafajik announced his resignation following protests in which three people were shot dead, according to a medical source.
Demonstrations in 2019 were halted following the outbreak of bloody crackdowns and the coronavirus pandemic. More than 600 people were killed and tens of thousands injured during the protests.
Al-Kadhemi held elections in October as a concession to protesters.
But anger led to disappointment and low turnout.
The al-Sadr movement, which once led an armed group against U.S. and Iraqi government forces, won a total of 329 seats in the assembly, according to the election commission.
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