Iraq PM says to submit resignation to parliament

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi said Friday he would submit his resignation to parliament, hours after the country’s top Shiite cleric called for a cabinet change amid deadly protests.

“I will submit to the esteemed parliament a formal letter requesting my resignation from the premiership,” Abdel Mahdi said in a statement.

The sudden turnaround came after nearly two months of bloody protests against the ruling class that have left more than 400 dead and 15,000 wounded and was met with cheers from protesters in Baghdad’s iconic Tahrir (Liberation) Square.