Spokesman, Saad al-Hadithi, said the caretaker government would continue for 30 days until a new government cabinet is formed. Under the constitution, President Barham Salih has fifteen days to nominate a new candidate for the position of prime minister.
Historically, however, government formation has taken much longer.
Abdul Mahdi submitted his letter of resignation to the Council of Representatives on Saturday evening and parliament approved it unanimously on Sunday.
He decided to resign after the country’s top Shia Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged lawmakers on Friday to reconsider their support for a government rocked by weeks of deadly anti-establishment unrest.
Young, unemployed and unarmed protesters have led calls for a overhaul of a political system they say is endemically corrupt and serves foreign powers, especially Baghdad’s ally Tehran.
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