Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has warned that a political crisis engulfing his country over anti-graft reforms could hamper the war against Islamic State militants, Reuters reports.
The crisis escalated this week with the cancellation of two voting sessions in parliament over a planned cabinet reshuffle sought by Abadi as part of his anti-corruption drive.
Tussles between lawmakers broke out on Wednesday, April 13, a day after the first attempted vote. After a second cancellation of the vote on Thursday, dozens of lawmakers held a mock session where they removed the speaker.
"The conflict has crippled parliament … and could obstruct the work of the government, impacting the heroic operations to free our cities and villages (from Islamic State)," Abadi said in a statement issued late on Thursday.
Iraq, a major OPEC exporter which sits on one of the world's largest oil reserves, ranks 161th out of 168 countries on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, Reuters says.
Corruption became a major issue after global oil prices collapsed two years ago, shrinking the state budget at a time when it needed additional income to wage war against Islamic State, the ultra-hardline Sunni group that controls swathes of northern and western Iraq, including the city of Mosul.
Abadi announced a government overhaul in February under pressure from the clergy of Iraq's Shi'ite majority.
