Central Committee Statement after the Resignation of the Prime Minister: 

Long live the People, the Creators of Victory

The following is the statement issued by the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party on 30th November 2019, after the Iraqi Prime Minister, Adel Abdul Mehdi, declared on 29th November his intention to submit his resignation to the Parliament: 

Finally, the Prime Minister has officially announced his intention to resign.

Finally, after a long wait, he has taken this step. Under his rule, heading the Council of Ministers and being the Chief-in-Command of the Armed Forces, terrible events took place, with the loss of hundreds of innocent lives of peaceful demonstrators, thousands others were handicapped as a result of their injuries, many thousands more wounded, and rivers of blood were shed, during almost two months, in Baghdad and other central and southern provinces.

It is a shining victory for the great popular uprising. But it remains only a first step on the path to salvation from the quota power-sharing system and corruption. It is a necessary step to start implementing the roadmap that leads to defeating the quota system and corruption.

After the resignation of the government, it is now necessary to form a new transitional government with specifications that were defined by the demands of the participants in the Uprising. It has to undertake specific tasks that pave the way for early elections, and have wide powers granted by the Parliament to be able to complete the prerequisites of transition within a period of no more than six months.

The following steps are now required:

First: The President of the Republic should immediately and in accordance with the Constitution take the necessary steps to select a new, politically independent Prime Minister, in accordance with the criteria of patriotism, competence, integrity, independence and decision-making capacity. He/She must not have previously held a ministerial or legislative post. This selection must not be influenced by the quota system, regional and sectarian tendencies and narrow partisanship. The new PM must also be able to ensure the independence of Iraqi national decision-making.

The Prime Minister and the members of this government must be committed not to run in the upcoming elections.

Second: The Prime Minister-designate is to form the government of national figures who are competent, impartial and known for their integrity, and are independent of the political parties and blocs that have been in power after 2003. Women and youth must be represented in this government, and it is to be formed away from the quota system and in accordance with the Constitution.

Third: The main tasks of the new transitional government should be as follows:

1. A) To accomplish immediate and urgent steps to secure the people's livelihood and fulfil their urgent needs, and to implement the economic and social demands of the participants in the Uprising.
2. B) To give fair punishment to those who committed the killings of demonstrators and those who issued orders to them. To release all the detainees, the ‘disappeared’ and abductees, to uncover the parties behind them, to stop the campaigns of prosecution and pursuit of others, and to disclose the identity of the so-called 'third party' and any internal or external parties proven to be involved in targeting the peaceful demonstrators, and to take the necessary measures in this regard. To end the systematic campaigns to suppress freedoms and close satellite channels and radio stations.
3. C) To accelerate action on corruption cases, starting with the largest ones, and to bring the corrupt to justice and recover the looted money.
4. D) To prepare for early elections provided that they are preceded by:
5. The legislation of a new democratic and fair electoral law that enshrines the principle of citizenship, expands representation and provides citizens with convictions about the importance of elections and their participation. This law must not be designed, as it has been until now, to suit the influential blocs and perpetuate their monopoly of power and domination.
6. The election of a new High Electoral Commission which is truly independent and composed of qualified individuals from outside the political parties and blocs. The judiciary should have an influential role in its work.
7. Amending the Law on Political Parties to ensure a sound democratic political life, and the effective implementation of the provisions on the prevention of the possession by political parties of armed wings. To ensure transparency in their financial sources.
8. Ensuring effective international supervision.

Upon the completion of the above tasks and legislations, the Parliament must dissolve itself.

The Constitutional amendments required to be made will be one of the first tasks of the new elected Parliament.

1. E) To take effective measures to limit the control of arms to the state, to strengthen and conslidate the role of the armed and security forces, and they will encompass all armed formations.
2. F) Preserving the sovereignty of the Iraqi state, preventing external interference in its affairs and securing the independence of national decision-making.

Past experience has stressed the need to continue to exert popular pressure and to pursue various forms of peaceful protest in order to achieve the popular demands, in full and completely, and ensure the implementation of reforms and measures necessary to launch the process of comprehensive change.

Glory to the martyrs

Wishing the wounded speedy recovery

Long live the people, the creators of victory

Central Committee

Iraqi Communist Party

30 November 2019

Statement of the Iraqi CP’s Central Committee (on 15th November 2019):

Victory to the People’s Uprising

The uprising of our people did not start last month and made enormous sacrifices in pursuit of partial solutions or cosmetic reforms, but directly raised the goal of salvation from the existing system of governance, the power-sharing quota policy in all its forms and the rampant corruption. It has clearly declared that the time for comprehensive change has come, and that it is necessary to launch a new phase in the country's march and open up the way for the establishment of a state based on citizenship, true democracy and social justice.

After all the deliberate killings and the bloodshed in an unprecedented brutal and horrific manner, with hundreds of peaceful protesters and security forces injured, and campaigns of detention, kidnapping and forced ‘disappearance’, and after the support for the valiant people's uprising from various popular and social sections, as well as professional, trade union and religious organisations .. After all this, the peaceful protesters are adamant that there will be no return to what had existed prior to 1st October 2019.

We stress that any procrastination or delay by the Government, the Parliament and dominant ruling forces in complying with the demand for real change, will only inflict harm on our people and our country.

While noting that the Uprising, which is effectively an unparalleled popular referendum, has entered its 45th day with great momentum and vigour, and with great determination to achieve its objectives, we reiterate support for it by all peaceful means, and reaffirm the demands we already made:

1. The resignation or dismissal of the existing government in accordance with constitutional procedures. There should be no more excuses given in order to cling to power.
2. To start the formation of a new government composed of competent, impartial and national figures who are known for integrity. This government should have exceptional powers and be formed away from the abhorrent quota system and corruption and in accordance with the Constitution. Its term should not exceed the period necessary to prepare the requirements for transition, and in all cases not more than six months.
3. The President of the Republic, in accordance with the Constitution, shall immediately take the necessary steps to select the Prime Minister, on the basis of criteria of patriotism, competence, integrity, independence and decision-making ability away from regional tendency, political sectarianism and narrow partisanship.
4. The principal functions of the new Government should be:

A- To accomplish the immediate and urgent steps to secure the people's livelihood and satisfy their urgent needs, and implement the economic and social demands of the participants in the Uprising.

B- To bring just retribution to those who committed the crimes of killing the demonstrators and those who issued orders to them. To release all the ‘disappeared’, the detainees and the kidnapped, and to stop the campaigns of pusuing and harassing other participants in the Uprising.

C- To act on the cases of corruption, starting with the worst cases, to bring the corrupt to justice and recover the looted money.

D- To prepare for early elections provided that it is preceded by:

1. Legislating a new democratic and fair electoral law, which enshrines the principle of citizenship, expands representation and convinces citizens about the importance of elections and participation in them. This law must not be formulated to please the ruling blocs.
2. Amending the Political Parties Law to ensure a healthy democratic political life, and to effectively implement the provisions that do not allow having armed wings. Transparency regarding the financial resources of the parties must be ensured.
3. Electing a new High Electoral Commission, which is truly independent, composed of qualified individuals from outside political parties and blocs, and is supervised by the judiciary.
4. Ensuring effective international supervision.

Upon completion of the above tasks and legislations, the Parliament must dissolve itself. The Government would then be a caretaker government. The constitutional amendments that need to be made will then be one of the first tasks of the new elected Parliament.

E- To restrict the possession of weapons by the State.

F- To preserve the sovereignty of the Iraqi state, ensure the independence of national decision-making and prevent external interference in its affairs.

Let us work diligently to sustain the momentum of the peaceful Uprising until its objectives, the goals of the people, have been fully realized.

The following is the Editorial of “Tareeq Al-Shaab” (People’s Path), the daily newspaper of the Iraqi Communist Party, published on 5 November 2019.

The government issued a new statement on Sunday night (3 November 2019), delivered by the Prime Minister, that provoked the feelings of the masses participating in the Uprising. It reflected a misreading of the reality of the broad popular protest movement, its comprehensive demands and its consequences.

A quick reading of the statement shows that it was very provocative to the participants in the Uprising and the majority of the people. This is evident when he speaks of the decreasing numbers of martyrs, as if this is an accomplishment that has preserved the precious blood, while blood continues to haemorrhage. Or when he clearly holds the demonstrators responsible for the violence, the use of excessive force used and deliberate killing.

It is also strange that the situation is presented as if the participants in the Uprising were in a school trip and the time has come for them to go back home to rest!

But the strangest thing is not to read the message of the protesters well, despite the clarity of its content. We shall repeat here this message with the hope that it will be remembered for the last time. What is required now is the resignation of the government and its departure, as it is responsible for the shedding of the blood of more than 260 citizens and more than 12,000 injured! This must be the starting point for a comprehensive change affecting all levels, in the forefront of which is the political system, with regard to policies, performance and personalities, and early parliamentary elections.

It is also important to note the contradiction between the government statement that speaks of banning the use of live bullets, and what happened less than 24 hours later, on Monday, when the massacre at Al-Ahrar Bridge in Baghdad took place, thus exposing the reality of this stance and the falsehood of what was announced and broadcast.

The responsibility for what is happening lies with the accumulated policies and insistence on them. The government's stubborn attitude is pushing things to a dangerous brink. It must therefore immediately stop playing with fire. In order not to reduce everything to ashes due to misreading the situation, selfish and narrow interests and external agenda, it must take the initiative to take political responsibility for what has happened and submit its resignation, to open the way to the formation of a new government. The latter should be formed away from allegiances and pressures of political blocs and away from the power-sharing quota system. It must be based essentially on the interests of our people. This government should be composed of competent national figures that have integrity, and it should implement a road map that will take our country to the shores of security and stability, launch it on the path of reconstruction and establish a state of based on citizenship, law, true democracy and social justice.

This is the path of stopping the bloodshed and responding fully and unequivocally to the will of the people.

The following is the Editorial of “Tareeq Al-Shaab” (People’s Path), the daily newspaper of the Iraqi Communist Party, published on 31 October 2019:

The glorious October Uprising has not limited its slogans and demands to replacing this or that person, nor did it make the enormous sacrifices so that the same mechanisms enforced since 2003, and which have proved to be a terrible failure at all levels, would remain in place.

The ongoing popular national uprising has created a new reality. The balance of forcesis no longer subject only to the results of the 2018 elections and cannot ignore the newbig realities imposed by the rising masses.

Certainly, the people did not come out to the streets for partial solutions and cosmetic reforms. They have directly raised, in their uprising, the goal of getting rid of the existing system of government, the quota system and rampant corruption, of the group that hasruled since 2003. The uprising has also asserted the necessity of change towards a state based on the principle of citizenship.

The peaceful protesters in the uprising, after shedding a lot of their precious blood, have categorically declared that there is no return to square one, and that those who insist on adhering to the same failed policy are deliberately impeding the achievement of the desired change in policy, performance and persons.

The moment of real change of the status quo has arrived. It begins with changing the government, the mechanisms for its formation and the policy of governance, and ends with establishing a state based on citizenship, true democracy and social justice.

While stressing that any delay in this will not be in the interest of our country, and in order to avoid the worst possibilities and chaos, and to ensure that a peaceful and smooth constitutional handover of power takes into account the new realities created by the Uprising, we affirm the need for:

1- The resignation or dismissal of the existing government in accordance with the constitutional procedures.

2- The formation of a new government composed of competent and effective patriotic figures who are well-known for their integrity. It is a government that should have exceptional powers and be formed away form the abhorrent quota system andcorruption, and in accordance with the Constitution. Its term should not exceed the period necessary to prepare the prerequisites for transition.

3- The President of the Republic, in accordance with the Constitution, should take the necessary steps to select the Prime Minister in accordance with the criteria of patriotism, competence, integrity, independence and the ability of decision-making, away from regional tendencies, political sectarianism and narrow partisanship.

4- The basic tasks of the new government will be:

Finally, let us strive to maintain the momentum of the Uprising until its objectives are fully achieved.