Disputes Delay Completion of Iraq’s Cabinet Until Next Week

Iraq’s parliament has postponed a session scheduled for Thursday to vote on completing the ministerial lineup, with the vote now expected to be held next week amid continued disagreements over several vacant portfolios.

A well-informed source said the main disputes concern candidates for the Ministries of Labor and Social Affairs, Youth and Sports, and Planning, Construction and Housing.

The source said the Kurdistan Democratic Party continues to insist on Ribaz Hamlan as its candidate for the Ministry of Construction and Housing, while also preparing to nominate a party figure for the position of fourth deputy prime minister.

The Coordination Framework is scheduled to meet Monday to discuss the completion of the government, while the State Administration Coalition will hold a meeting on Tuesday to address the same issue, according to the source.

Lawmaker Badr Al-Fahl said political blocs have submitted their candidates for the remaining vacant ministries, stressing that Prime Minister Ali Al-Zeidi now has the task of selecting the final nominees and sending their names to parliament for a confidence vote.

Al-Fahl added that no new official date has yet been set for the parliamentary session to approve the nominees.

Meanwhile, a source said the State of Law Coalition, headed by Nouri Al-Maliki, has formally nominated Yasser Sakheel for the Interior Ministry, while Haider Baha, dean of the College of Pharmacy at Al-Nahrain University, has been put forward for the Higher Education Ministry.

The developments come as Coordination Framework leaders are expected to meet Monday evening in the presence of the prime minister and finance minister to discuss completing the cabinet and the draft budget for next year.