Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Reconstruction and Development Coalition (RDC), led by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, is seeking at least five ministerial portfolios in Iraq’s incoming government, including a sovereign ministry, coalition MP Abbas Ahyal told Shafaq News on Thursday.

Ahyal said the coalition’s 46 seats, the largest share secured by a single bloc in the recent elections, give it strong leverage in the talks, with cabinet posts expected to be distributed proportionally among political factions.

Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi has 30 days from his April 27 appointment to present his cabinet and government program to parliament for a confidence vote. Ahyal expressed confidence that the deadline would be met, pointing to ongoing intensive negotiations among the blocs.

Parallel talks are shaping the broader cabinet lineup. Informed sources told Shafaq News that al-Sudani’s coalition is likely to secure five ministries, including Finance, along with a deputy prime minister post.

The Sadiqoon Movement, which holds 27 parliamentary seats, is expected to take the Labor and Industry ministries, in addition to a second deputy prime minister position, marking a notable expansion of its executive role.

Cabinet formation in Iraq follows the muhasasa system, a post-2003 sectarian and ethnic power-sharing arrangement that governs the allocation of senior state positions among the country’s main political groups.