Iraq PM scraps third of cabinet posts in reform drive

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the removal of 11 of 33 cabinet posts on August 16, the first concrete step in a reform drive to curb corruption and streamline the government.

The announcement came as parliament and Abadi made preliminary moves toward holding top officials -- including ex-premier Nuri al-Maliki -- accountable for military disasters in the cities of Mosul and Ramadi, which have been seized by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadist group. 
 
Abadi rolled out a reform programme a week ago in response to popular pressure from weeks of protests against corruption and poor services, and to a call for drastic change from Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
 
Parliament approved Abadi's plan along with additional measures two days later, but a major gap remains between announcements and implementation.
 
In a first move from proposals to action, Abadi scrapped three deputy premier positions, three ministries and a minister without portfolio, and merged four more ministries with others, his office said on August 16.
 
It is unclear whether the scrapped ministries -- human rights and the ministries of state for women's affairs and for provincial and parliamentary affairs -- will continue in another form, or will be done away with altogether.
 
Amid a major heatwave that has seen temperatures top 50 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit), protesters have railed against the poor quality of services, especially power outages that leave just a few hours of government-supplied electricity per day.
 
Thousands of people have turned out in Baghdad and cities in the Shiite south to vent their anger and pressure the authorities to make changes....