Prime minister rolls out sweeping reforms after protests over corruption

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi proposed on Sunday scrapping top government posts and curbing privileges in an ambitious reform drive sparked by swelling popular anger over corruption and poor governance.

The proposed reforms followed weeks of demonstrations and a call for tougher reform measures from top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who is revered by millions of Iraqis.

Amid a major heat wave that has seen temperatures top 50 C, protesters have railed against the poor quality of services, especially power outages that leave just a few hours of government-supplied electricity per day.