A month into the wave of protests that broke out in various cities in southern Iraq, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered on July 29 the dismissal of Minister of Electricity Qasim al-Fahdawi and referred him to investigation. He attributed this decision to the “deterioration of electricity services,” which has been behind the outbreak of protests during Iraq’s blazing hot summer.

Fahdawi welcomed the decision and called on “the senior cadres in the Ministry of Electricity to cooperate with the investigation committees toward unveiling the truth.” He said, “Reports about increasing power cuts are invalid. There may have been some cuts in the past, but the situation is getting better now.”

In this context, the question arises as to the purpose and legality of this decision at a time when the legal term of the government has come to an end and will soon be replaced by a new government. One might think that the main purpose of the decision is to try to quell the wave of protests that have taken a violent turn and have already left more than 12 dead.

However, the decision to dismiss the electricity minister did not help calm the protests, as Iraqi demonstrators in Basra province erected tents in front of the provincial council on July 31 to start a sit-in against electricity cuts and the lack of services and job opportunities amid intensive security measures. And other southern cities are still witnessing continued protests against power cuts and the lack of services and jobs.