“Although not a short time has passed since popular protests began – calling for reforms – and the blood hundreds of martyrs and thousands of injured and wounded was shed in this honourable way, the demands of protesters have not been met on the ground so far. This deserves attention,” Sistani said in a sermon read during Friday prayers by his representative Ahmed al-Safi.
This is not Sistani’s first endorsement of the demonstrations. He threw his support behind the protesters two weeks ago and backed calls for constitutional reforms.
Youth took to the streets across southern Iraq on October 1, protesting against a lack of basic services, rampant corruption, and high unemployment. Demonstrations resumed on October 25 after a pause for the Shiite religious Arbaeen pilgrimage. With their return to the streets, protesters expanded their demands, calling for an end to the current governance system and the resignation of the three top posts – president, prime minister, and parliament speaker.
As the protests grew, so did the death toll. At least 320 people have been killed and thousands injured, including two protesters dead and 25 injured in Baghdad on Friday.
Video shot near Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, the main protest camp, shows protesters fleeing security forces firing tear gas, which has been used to lethal effect.
Today in Baghdad: Protesters near Tahrir Square flee security forces firing tear gas. Rights groups accuse security forces of lethally firing tear gas canisters directly at protesters and medical workers. #Iraqprotests
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) November 15, 2019
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Video: @Adam_Lucente pic.twitter.com/YHn1zLLBIz
Iraqi President Barham Salih had promised to hold early elections after passing electoral reforms that would move away from the sectarian system brought in after 2003. The United Nations has called for electoral reforms in its roadmap for the government and the United States has called for early elections. Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and pro-Iranian factions in the parliament have resisted returning to the polls, instead advocating for reforms.
Sistani, in his sermon, demanded “smooth” passage of both election and electoral commission laws and warned, “If those in power think that they can evade the benefits of real reform by stalling and procrastination, they are delusional.”
"What comes after these protests will not be the same as before, and they should be aware of that,” he added.
The cleric also demanded the government take concrete steps to take back money stolen by corrupt officials and end the practices of favouritism and quotas when assigning positions.
Failure to do so raises questions of “the capability or seriousness of the ruling political forces to implement the demands of the protesters, even to a minimum,” he stated.
Abdul-Mahdi’s cabinet has announced a number of reforms introduced in an effort to appease protesters such as slashing the salaries of top government officials and new jobs, but this has not helped.
Sistani said the government has the financial resources, but the people are not benefitting from them and “a large number of the population have not been offered the minimum necessities of a decent life.”
Ammar al-Hakim, head of the opposition Hikma Front, called on the government to follow Sistani’s instructions.
"We reiterate that the points mentioned in the religious Marja’s [Sistani’s office] sermon today and his previous announcements represent the only road-map which the government, parliament, judiciary, and political forces have to take seriously within a specific period of time,” he tweeted.
Protesters in Baghdad were emboldened by Sistani’s support. “No one retreat, even the Marja is with us!" said a young man as security forces fired tear gas at them, AFP reported.
