First demonstration in al-Zaydi’s government: 5,000 graduates demonstrate in central Baghdad (Update)
First demonstration in al-Zaydi’s government: 5,000 graduates demonstrate in central Baghdad (Update)
2026-05-18
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Thousands of graduates demonstrated on Monday in the center of Baghdad, the capital, to demand employment.
A source told Shafaq News Agency that the protesters were old graduates who demanded to be included in the appointments within the current year’s budget.
A video showed the large number of protesters in the Alawi area in central Baghdad.
A correspondent for Shafaq News Agency reported that the demonstrations caused traffic disruptions in most of the nearby areas and cut off the bridges linking the Karkh and Rusafa sides.
A security source indicated that the number of demonstrators reached approximately 5,000 from all governorates, and that the demonstrations extend from the Alawi area to Al-Shawaf Square in the center of the capital.
He added that law enforcement forces are accompanying the demonstrators, and measures have been taken to provide protection in accordance with regulations under the supervision of the operations command headquarters.
This is the first demonstration since the formation of the new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi, which was granted confidence by the Iraqi parliament last week and officially began its duties two days ago.
During the demonstration, protesting graduate Marwa Ahmed told a correspondent from Shafaq News Agency: “We have been demonstrating for 16 years, and every year we go out to demonstrate under the sun. How long will this marginalization and injustice continue?”
She added, “The appointment process should have been based on points, but there is favoritism, and whoever pays money gets the appointment. We demand the appointment of graduates who have been out of school for 16 years.”
As Ali Al-Shammari, a graduate protester from Baghdad, explains: “We graduated more than 5 years ago, and we are still protesting and have not received any appointments. How long will we continue to work in private companies?”
As for the legislation of the law for veteran graduates, which we are demanding the House of Representatives approve, it is to do justice to this segment, most of whom work in daily freelance jobs, as Al-Shammari confirms.
He continued, “Unfortunately, there is injustice. Even when we signed a contract with the Ministry of Planning regarding the population census, one of the conditions was not to demand appointments after the census was completed. This is injustice.”
From Najaf, protesting graduate Diaa Al-Lahibi tells the agency: “Regarding the comparison, it is unreasonable to compare me, a graduate of 2016, with graduates of 2020 or 2022. In those years, graduation was online, and we went through different and exceptional circumstances during our studies.”
Majid Shenkali, a former member of the Iraqi parliament and a leader in the Kurdistan Democratic Party, confirmed yesterday that all talk about including the conversion of contracts to permanent staff, or the transfer of social welfare contracts to ministries, or the reinstatement of those whose contracts were terminated in the security services in the 2026 budget, from any source, is nothing but demagogic media (i.e., using the media to deceive the masses and win their emotions) and is far from logic .
He explained this by saying, “Because the economic and financial reality cannot accept any increase in public sector salaries and wages at all, knowing that the government is unable to appoint graduates of medical and health colleges and institutes in 2023, 2024, 2025, and this year’s graduates will also be added to them
shafaq.com
