Talks were underway on Wednesday over the ouster of Iraq's embattled premier, as a rights commission said the latest week of anti-government demonstrations have left at least 100 dead and 5,000 injured.

Massive rallies broke out in Iraq's capital and south this month against corruption and unemployment, spiralling into angry calls for a total government overhaul.

In the latest week-long wave of demonstrations, at least 100 people have died and 5,500 more wounded, the Iraqi Human Rights Commission said.

The commission told AFP most of the casualties were civilians who either suffocated by tear gas, sustained trauma wounds from tear gas canisters or were shot dead.

The number brings the toll since protests first erupted on October 1 to 257 dead and more than 10,000 wounded.

But demonstrators turned out regardless on Wednesday, waiting to see whether the first fruit of their struggle -- the ouster of Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi -- was finally within reach.

They flooded Tahrir Square in Baghdad, and a cacophony of honking horns, fireworks and blasts from tear gas canisters used by security forces could be heard from nearby districts.

As thousands streamed into the chaotic square, quiet talks were underway among the country's leaders over the premier's fate.

Abdel Mahdi, 77, came to power last year through a tenuous partnership between populist cleric Moqtada Sadr and paramilitary chief Hadi al-Ameri.

But the premier appears to have lost top-tier support, with Sadr calling for his resignation and early elections.

President Barham Saleh held talks with Speaker of Parliament Mohammed al-Halbussi and Ameri late Tuesday over the premier's ouster, an Iraqi government source told AFP.

And parliament has demanded that the premier appear "immediately" for questioning amid speculation he will face a no-confidence vote.

- No alternative? -

The kingmakers' alliance between Sadr and Ameri has been ruptured by protests, with Sadr's Saeroon bloc, the biggest in parliament, endorsing the demonstrators.

The Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force, whose political arm Fatah is parliament's second-biggest bloc and is chaired by Ameri, has so far backed the government.

Several Hashed offices were torched in southern Iraq last week, further straining ties.

But Sadr extended an invitation to Ameri late Tuesday to coordinate on a no-confidence vote in Abdel Mahdi and used Twitter to urge the premier to "Get out!"

Hours later, Ameri announced he and Sadr would "work together to achieve the people's demands," hinting he may agree to a vote on the premier's future.

Sadr took to Twitter again on Wednesday to pile on pressure, warning that keeping Abdel Mahdi would "turn Iraq into Syria or Yemen" -- countries both engulfed in bloody wars.

Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Iraqis they should find legal ways to resolve crises instead of hitting the streets.

"The people of Iraq and Lebanon have some demands that are rightful, but they should know these demands can only be realised within the legal frameworks," said Khamenei.

The United Nations' top representative in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, called again for a national dialogue to "unite against the perils of division and inaction."

- 'Back to square one' -

Athir Malik, 39, came from Diwaniyah, 200 kilometres (130 miles) further south, to join the rallies on Wednesday.

"Isn't it the people who have the power? Isn't it the people who put them all there?" he asked.

Demonstrators have shrugged off a litany of government reform plans and called for a new constitution, reworked electoral law and mass resignations from a government they see as corrupt.

"They should all quit and we should have a national salvation government," said Alaa Khdeir, 63.

While the premier's departure would be seen as a "victory" for demonstrators, it would "give protests a break but not break them," said Maria Fantappie, an Iraq analyst at the International Crisis Group.

"Even an election with the same election law would bring (the) same figures into parliament and the same process as last year in selecting the prime minister, which puts you once again at square one," Fantappie said.

Since the US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq's political system has been gripped by clientelism, corruption and sectarianism.

The country is ranked by Transparency International as the 12th most corrupt in the world.

That means getting a job in government -- by far the country's biggest employer -- is often secured with bribes or connections.

Anger at the state of affairs had been swelling among the youth, who make up 60 percent of Iraq's nearly 40 million people.

Youth unemployment stands at 25 percent, while one in five live below the poverty line, despite the vast oil wealth of OPEC's second-largest crude producer.

Iraq: growing anti-regime protests, deadly clashes
Baghdad (AFP) Oct 30, 2019 - Apparently spontaneous anti-government protests that started in Iraq on October 1 have escalated into deadly clashes around the country and demands for the government to resign.

With 257 people dead since the movement began and demonstrators camping out in Baghdad's iconic Tahrir (Liberation) Square for days, here is a recap:

- Spontaneous gatherings -

On October 1, more than 1,000 people take to the streets in Baghdad and cities in southern Iraq to protest corruption, unemployment and poor public services.

Heeding calls on social media, they gather in Tahrir Square in what seems to be a spontaneous movement.

Riot police disperse crowds with water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets. They fire live ammunition when protesters regroup.

The first deaths are reported.

- Unrest spreads -

On October 2, protests multiply across southern Iraq and riot police fire live rounds in the capital and the cities of Najaf and Nasiriyah.

Influential firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, whose bloc is the biggest in parliament, announces support for "peaceful protests".

On October 3, thousands defy a curfew in Baghdad and other cities, blocking streets and burning tyres.

Riot police and soldiers again fire live rounds.

Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi defends his year-old government on television, asking for more time to implement reforms.

- Sadr calls for polls -

On October 4, clashes intensify in Baghdad as security forces try to block access to Tahrir Square.

Several protesters are struck by bullets. Security forces blame "unidentified snipers".

In the evening, Sadr calls on the government to resign and for early elections under UN supervision.

- Death toll exceeds 150 -

On October 6, the cabinet announces reforms, including land distribution, boosted social welfare and the ousting of corrupt officials.

On October 7, the powerful Hashed al-Shaabi, a network of mostly majority-Shiite paramilitary units, says it will back the government to prevent "a coup".

Calm returns and Baghdad lifts security restrictions on October 8.

On October 22, an official inquiry announces that the death toll from the week of protests totalled 157, most killed in Baghdad.

- Second wave -

Protests resume on October 24, after calls on social media for rallies on October 25, the anniversary of Abdel Mahdi's government taking office.

Protesters begin camping out at Tahrir Square.

On October 25, demonstrators are out in their thousands, massing near the capital's high-security Green Zone and in other cities.

Deadly violence erupts as protesters set fire to dozens of government buildings and offices belonging to the pro-government Hashed paramilitary forces across southern cities.

By the evening, more than 40 protesters have been killed.

Security forces impose a curfew across several southern provinces.

- Sadr sit-in -

On October 26, protesters dig in around Tahrir Square, while three people are shot dead in Nasiriyah city as they torch a local official's home.

In the evening, lawmakers in Sadr's influential bloc, Saeroon, begin a sit-in at parliament.

They align themselves with the political opposition, having been a main sponsor of the government.

On October 27, students join protests in Baghdad, while four parliamentarians resign.

- Students, unions join -

On October 28, the protest movement swells as students, schoolchildren and professors take part in protests in Baghdad and cities in the south.

Trade unions representing teachers, lawyers and dentists declare strikes.

Parliament votes to summon Abdel Mahdi for questioning.

On October 29, the strikes and student rallies intensify after thousands defy an overnight curfew and stayed on the streets, including around Tahrir.

The next day, the Iraqi Human Rights Commission says at least 100 people have died and more than 5,000 been injured since the demonstrations resumed on October 24, taking the total dead since the start of the month to 257.

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Main backers of Iraqi premier drop support amid protests
Baghdad (AFP) Oct 29, 2019
The Iraqi government's two main sponsors agreed early Wednesday to drop their support for embattled premier Adel Abdel Mahdi, overcoming their rivalry to resolve a political crisis sparked by widespread demonstrations. The surprise rapprochement came as tens of thousands flocked to the capital's Tahrir Square to demand the government quit, the largest rally yet since protests erupted on October 1. Populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who leads parliament's largest bloc, has spearheaded calls this ... read more