Shafaq News / More than half of the Iraqi deputies submitted, on Saturday, a formal request to dissolve the parliament and call early polls.

The head of the Saairun bloc, Nabil al-Tarfi, said in a joint press conference with the heads of political blocs in the parliament “Today we submitted a request signed by 172 deputies (out of 329) to dissolve the House of Representatives on October 9, to conduct the early elections on October 10, 2021. "

He added that "the request will be voted on in the next session of the House of Representatives," noting that "all the political blocs have unanimously agreed to dissolve Parliament according in the specified time."

It’s noteworthy that Iraq’s cabinet decided to postpone the general election to Oct. 10 from June.

The government set a general election for June 6, 2021, roughly a year ahead of when it would normally be held, but Iraq’s Independent High Election Commission (IHEC) proposed it be delayed to October to allow more time to prepare.

Early elections were a key demand of anti-government protesters who staged mass demonstrations that started in October 2019. Hundreds were killed by security forces and gunmen suspected of links to militia groups.