Iraq will hold its next general elections on June 6 of 2021, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced on Friday. “I announce June 6 of 2021 as a date for the early parliament elections, and we will do our best to make this election a success,” Kadhimi said in a televised speech. Holding elections was among Kadhimi’s pledges as he was appointed to his post earlier this year. The polls are also a key demand for anti-government protests that erupted last year. Protests began on Oct. 1 and continued for several months, with hundreds of thousands of Iraqis demanding jobs, services and the removal of the ruling elite, which they said was corrupt. The protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who was replaced in May by Kadhimi, a former intelligence chief.