Shafaq News- Baghdad

Mohammed al-Halbousi, leader of the Taqaddum (Progress) Party, is seeking a senior post in Iraq’s next government, including a deputy presidency or deputy premiership, a source from the National Political Council* revealed to Shafaq News on Sunday.

The proposal has been relayed through intermediaries to influential figures within the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) —the largest parliamentary bloc with about 162 seats out of 329— for discussion with Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi.

Parallel contacts by Parliament Speaker Haibet al-Halbousi with several Shiite leaders also explored reactivating the two vice-presidential posts, with one potentially assigned to Mohammed al-Halbousi. These discussions remain within political circles.

Competition persists within Sunni ranks, particularly from Sarmad al-Khanjar, leader of the Sovereignty (Siyada) Alliance, and son of former alliance leader Khamis al-Khanjar, who is also seeking the position if it carries executive powers.

Negotiations are ongoing over distributing ministries based on a “points” system tied to parliamentary representation, under which service ministries require at least 10 seats, while sovereign portfolios require more than 15. Against this backdrop, al-Halbousi’s bid may face resistance from some political forces, especially as his party has already secured the speakership, which typically limits its remaining share to a sovereign ministry, according to the source.

In a separate development, another political source told our agency that Sunni factions within the National Council met at the residence of Khamis al-Khanjar to draft a unified list of demands and conditions for the government formation process, in preparation for submission to al-Zaidi and the Coordination Framework. The meeting was boycotted by the Al-Azm Alliance, led by Muthanna al-Samarrai.

Cabinet positions in Iraq are typically distributed through political agreements under the muhasasa system, a post-2003 power-sharing arrangement among the country’s major political and ethnic blocs. Earlier indications suggest Taqaddum (27 seats) may secure the Higher Education Ministry, while Al-Azm (15 seats) is likely to obtain the Defense Ministry in al-Zaidi’s government, which must be formed within one month from April 27.

Read more: Ali al-Zaidi named Iraq's prime minister: Easy nomination, harder road ahead

*The National Political Council is a Sunni umbrella bloc formed after the 2025 parliamentary elections to unify positions, coordinate political demands, and represent Sunni forces in negotiations with other major blocs. It holds a total of 77 seats in parliament.