Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Iraqi government is moving to adopt merit-based criteria for appointments to senior state positions as part of broader efforts to reform the public sector and reduce political influence over key posts, the Federal Public Service Council said on Saturday.

Fadel Al-Gharawi, the council's spokesperson, told Shafaq News that appointments would be based on professional qualifications, integrity, administrative experience, academic credentials, leadership ability, and institutional performance rather than political quotas. “The objective is to select the most qualified candidates to strengthen state institutions and improve public administration.”

Thousands of Iraq's senior government posts remain filled on an acting basis years after they were vacated, fueling repeated calls to replace temporary appointments with permanent, merit-based selections. The proposed reforms also coincide with Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's wider administrative overhaul, which the government says is aimed at improving institutional performance and combating corruption following the launch of its "Dawn Crackdown" campaign against alleged corruption in state institutions.

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