Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi has yet to finalize his cabinet lineup and continues reviewing candidates submitted by political blocs and parties, a source close to the negotiations told Shafaq News on Wednesday.

Al-Zaidi is holding intensive meetings with a special advisory team to assess résumés and proposed nominees before making final decisions on ministerial posts, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions. “Some portfolios may remain unresolved until the final hours before Parliament convenes for the confidence vote tomorrow.”

The prime minister-designate has also raised objections to several nominees and requested replacement candidates from certain political blocs and parties, the source added.

Earlier today, Hoqooq bloc* MP Miqdad Al-Khafaji told our agency that Parliament is moving ahead with the vote despite lawmakers not yet receiving the names or résumés of ministerial candidates. He noted that the bloc hopes they would be submitted at least 48 hours before the session to allow lawmakers sufficient time to review qualifications and records, warning that some MPs may boycott the vote if they remain unconvinced by the proposed nominees.

Parliament’s presidency officially set Thursday as the date for the confidence vote following days of political disputes over the timing of the session and the distribution of ministries among rival factions. Political sources previously said disagreements persist over sovereign and security portfolios, particularly the oil and defense ministries, raising the possibility that Al-Zaidi may present only part of his cabinet for parliamentary approval.

* Hoqooq is the political wing of the armed group Kataib Hezbollah and is part of the Shiite Coordination Framework, the largest bloc with about 162 of parliament's 329 seats.

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