Iraq’s parliament has unanimously approved Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s anticorruption reform package.
The vote for the reforms was announced on August 11 by parliamentary speaker Salim al-Juburia during a live state television broadcast.
Abadi proposed the measures to reduce corruption and save money amid a mounting protest movement in Iraq.
The reform package includes eliminating a layer of senior government positions, ending sectarian and party quotas for government posts, and reopening corruption investigations.
On August 10, one of Iraq’s three deputy prime ministers resigned and a corruption probe into his activities was announced.
The departure of Baha al-Araji, deputy prime minister for energy affairs, was seen as a signal that Abadi has begun to take action against high-level corruption within the government.
Araji is a member of the Shi'ite movement headed by powerful cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and reportedly gained his position because of that association.
