Demonstrations that started in Basra due to issues with economic policy, unemployment, poverty and lack of power and water services, spread throughout southern provinces of Iraq and reached the capital Baghdad have solidified around the demand for a “federal region”.

People have put up flags of the federal region on the roofs of houses in the oil rich port city of Basra to relay the demand, which the Iraqi government responded to.

Iraqi Government Spokesperson Saad Hadisi stated that the government doesn’t have the right to hinder the changing of Basra’s province status to a region status.

Spokesperson Hadisi said, “As long as the Basra province fulfills the constitutional requirements to get the status for a federal region, the government can’t hinder this.”

Hadisi said there are certain requirements for Basra and other provinces to achieve the status of a federal region, and accepted that the issues in Basra have led the way for such a demand to arise. 35.000 signatures had been gathered and submitted to the Parliament and the Government to change Basra into a Federal Region before, but the petition was rejected when met with an opposition led by the Dawa (Cause) Party.