Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi sacked on Sunday Electricity Minister Qassim al-Fahdawi to contain popular protests over poor power services and other demands. The move followed warnings made by Shiite Supreme Religious Leader Ali al-Sistani that failure to meet the peoples demands would have bad consequences. Abadis decision appeared to be in line with the public demands to hold senior officials accountable, especially after Sistani called for developing new protest methods to "impose the will of the people" when politicians break their word. For his part, the sacked Minister of Electricity called for a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the reasons that led to the deterioration of the services. Speaking to Asharq al-Awsat, Fahdawi described Abadis decision as "a normal procedure," asserting his readiness to “cooperate with everyone trying to reach the truth." The Minister denied accusations against him regarding the deterioration of electricity in the country, saying that "we have made progress in the electricity file, and everyone knows it, so ... we must conduct a comprehensive investigation which I have been calling for.” Reactions varied between those who welcomed Abadi’s decision and others who denounced it. Member of parliament Ahmed al-Jubouri told Asharq Al-Awsat the Minister of Electricity was working hard. "What is really striking is that, up until recently, Abadi praised electricity production and the minister’s performance. He considered that the problem was not the lack of electricity, but the lack of rationalization of consumption by citizens," Jubouri said. Also speaking to Asharq al-Awsat, a former member of parliamentary finance committee, Rahim Darraji, said that Fahdawi was not a successful minister by any standards and his suspension was because Abadi failed to determine the problem from the beginning. He added that the minister has been in position for the last four years. "Electricity did not improve in Fahdawis term. We used to produce about 14 to 15 thousand megawatts and now we produce the same rate, which Abadi knows,” added Darraji. He also indicated that the prime minister wanted to be viewed as powerful and courageous before the demonstrators. However, when asked about Abadi’s chances in a second term, Darraji believes that with the statement made by Sistani last week, it is all over now. Speaking to followers in his Friday sermon, a representative of Sistani relayed the leaders message, calling on the formation of a new government “as soon as possible” after the country witnessed waves of protests against corruption, unemployment and poor basic services. “The new government must be built on sound foundations and include competent figures. Its prime minister must assume all of his responsibilities. He must be firm, strong and brave in his fight against corruption,” he stated in the city of Karbala. Demonstrations continued in many southern provinces and cities on Sunday despite the meetings held between the PM and a number of representatives such as tribal sheikhs and coordination committees in many governorates. In Muthanna province, hundreds of citizens staged an open sit-in in front of the governorate building demanding the dismissal of a number of department directors and the accountability of the corrupt. In Basra, a number of citizens held a sit-in in front of the eighth station, west of “Qurna 1” on the road leading to Rumaila fields asking for employment, amid intensified security measures. Human Rights Commission indicated that security forces prevent protesters from organizing sit-ins in Basra and Muthanna.