Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi political blocs have submitted nominees for the remaining cabinet posts, although disagreements persist over candidates for the Interior and Defense ministries, lawmaker Mohammed Abu Al-Eis told Shafaq News on Sunday.

The Shiite Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in parliament, is expected to meet in the coming days to discuss completing Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s cabinet, according to Abu Al-Eis, who added that no deadline has been set for filling the vacant posts, dismissing circulating dates as “speculation.”

The Interior Ministry is allocated to a Shia Arab, while the Defense Ministry is assigned to a Sunni Arab. Taqaddum lawmaker Ahmed Al-Masari told Shafaq News on Saturday that the Sunni National Political Council (NPC) would choose nominees for Sunni-held ministries, including those allocated to the Al-Azm Alliance. Candidates could come from either bloc or elsewhere, provided they secure consensus among Sunni forces.

Parliament approved Al-Zaidi’s government program on May 14 and granted confidence to 14 of 23 ministers, postponing votes on nine portfolios amid disagreements over their allocation.