Iraqi students protest as PM's nomination delayed

Iraqi medical students take part in an anti-government demonstration in the central holy shrine city of Najaf on 28 October 2019. [AFP via Getty Images]

Hundreds of Iraqi students took to the streets of Basra on Tuesday, blaming the ruling political parties for the delay in the nomination of a new prime minister, Reuters reports.

Deadlock in parliament has held up the selection of an interim prime minister, causing lawmakers to miss the constitutional deadline on Thursday (December 19) to name a replacement for Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.

Mahdi resigned last month but has remained in office in a caretaker capacity.

Anti-government protests have raged across the country as demonstrators refuse to accept a prime minister nominated by the ruling political parties.

More than 450 people, mostly unarmed demonstrators, but also some members of the security forces, have been killed since a wave of popular unrest began on October 1.

READ: Iraqi candidate rejects nomination for prime minister

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