Iraq's parliament has voted to limit the powers of the country's prime minister in passing reforms, forcing him to seek approval by lawmakers for enacting new measures.
Lawmakers say Monday's decision is not meant to specifically target Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi but to separate the powers of government and legislature.
The chamber's decision comes just months after lawmakers unanimously voted to approve Abadi's reform plan aimed at reducing government spending and tackling corruption. His plan, announced in August, followed widespread protests against corruption and poor government services.
Abadi's reforms included measures to fire the country's three vice presidents and three deputy prime ministers and reduce salaries for government employees. It also called for ending party and sectarian quotas when choosing officials, reducing the number of bodyguards assigned to officials and reopening corruption investigations.
Some of those reforms have been implemented, so far, while others require further parliamentary action.
Some material for this report came from AFP and AP.
