Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Sunni National Political Council (NPC)* will select candidates for ministries allocated to Sunni parties, including portfolios assigned to the Al-Azm Alliance, Taqaddum (Progress) lawmaker Ahmed Al-Masari told Shafaq News on Saturday, adding that there are no objections to Jumaa Inad’s nomination for defense minister.

Al-Masari expected parliament to hold a session next week to advance the completion of Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi’s cabinet, as negotiations among political blocs continue. Candidates, he said, could come from Taqaddum, Al-Azm, or outside the two blocs, provided they secure consensus among Sunni forces.

Addressing reports of reservations over Inad, who served as defense minister from 2020 to 2022 under then-Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, the lawmaker maintained that he was unaware of any domestic or external objections to nominees for Sunni-held portfolios, “particularly Jumaa Inad.”

Parliament approved Al-Zaidi’s government and program on May 14, granting confidence to 14 ministers while postponing votes on nine positions amid disagreements over their allocation. A source informed Shafaq News this month that the process could be completed in September.

Al-Azm’s share has also come under discussion following the arrest of its leader, Muthanna Al-Samarrai, on corruption allegations. A political source revealed on Wednesday that one of the alliance’s two ministries could be reassigned, while an official from the bloc insisted that its electoral share entitles it to both.

*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.