Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi (file photo)
Iraq’s embattled Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has accepted the resignations of six cabinet ministers.
The resignations come amid a months-long effort by Abadi to replace the current cabinet with non-partisan technocrats.
Abadi accepted the resignations of the ministers of oil, transport, housing and construction, water resources and industry, as well as the interior, which had been previously announced.
In February, he called for the cabinet to include technocrats, but has faced strong opposition from powerful political parties that rely on control of ministries for patronage and funds.
Powerful Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has taken up the call for a technocratic government, and has organized several mass demonstrations calling for reforms.
Protesters have broken into Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where the government is headquartered, on multiple occasions during protests.