Iraqi Students Protest Against Designation of New PM Allawi

Iraqi university students took to the streets in cities across the country Sunday to protest the appointment of Mohammed Allawi as the next Prime Minister.

RELATED:

Violence Escalates In Iraq As Government Pushes To End Protests

Hundreds of university students along with other anti-government protesters in Baghdad, Najaf, and Nasiriya reject the election of Allawi, whom they accuse of belonging to the same political establishment that has failed them.

The 65-year-old prime minister was appointed on Saturday after two months of political stalemate and has the task of leading the country until general elections are held.

In a statement posted on Twitter, influential Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr urged his followers to resume "daily life" by opening blocked roads and ensuring that schools and government offices remained open.

Al-Sadr's supporters gained control of strategic areas in Tahrir Square, including key bridges leading to the fortified Green Zone, and even a building dubbed the "Turkish Restaurant," which provides strategic position to watch the protests.

Mass anti-government protests broke out in Iraq on October first, when thousands of people took to the streets of Baghdad and the predominantly Shiite provinces of southern Iraq to denounce rampant government corruption.

The protesters demanded the elimination of the political elite and a complete overhaul of the country's political system introduced after the U.S. invasion in 2003.

At least 500 people had died amid the crackdown on the demonstrations, and human rights groups had condemned the use of live fire by the security forces.