Iraq\u2019s parliament approved the resignation of Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi on Sunday, amid ongoing violence and anti-government demonstrations in the capital that saw one protester shot dead.
Protesters also continued to close roads, including those leading to a major commodities port, in mass demonstrations in southern Iraq.
Parliament enacted Abdul-Mahdi\u2019s resignation without putting it to a vote, according to two lawmakers in attendance. Existing laws do not provide clear procedures for members of parliament to recognize the prime minister\u2019s resignation. Lawmakers acted on the legal opinion of the federal supreme court for Sunday\u2019s session.
\u201cAccording to the federal court\u2019s interpretation there is no need to vote,\u201d said lawmaker Sarkwat Shamsedine, during the session.
Lawmaker Mohamed al-Daraji said that parliament faced a \u201cblack hole in the constitution\u201d that didn\u2019t clearly set out how members of parliament should deal with a premier\u2019s resignation.
Security and medical officials say one protester was killed and ten wounded in Baghdad\u2019s historic Rasheed Street, when security forces fired live ammunition to prevent crowds from breaching concrete barriers near the Ahrar Bridge that leads to Iraq\u2019s parliament and other government buildings. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with regulations.
Anti-government demonstrators, including students and teachers, also took to the streets in the southern oil-rich city of Basra early morning Sunday. They donned black clothes to mourn protesters killed in Najaf and Dhi Qar provinces in recent days.
At least 400 people have been killed since Oct. 1, when thousands took to the streets in mass protests in Baghdad and the predominantly Shia south. Security forces have used live fire and tear gas to repel protesters creating heavy casualties.
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