Shafaq News- Erbil

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Tuesday expected a delay in forming Iraq’s next government, warning that foreign interventions could disrupt Parliament’s vote on Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi’s cabinet.

Shakhawan Abdullah, head of the KDP’s bloc, which holds 26 seats in Iraq’s 329-member Parliament, told reporters that negotiations over the distribution of ministries among Iraq’s Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish political forces had largely been completed, but some obstacles still threatened to delay the confidence vote.

“Regional and international interventions are a reality that cannot be ignored and have existed since 2003,” he explained, adding that such involvement had played a role in the formation of successive governments after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

He pointed to disagreements surrounding the participation of certain factions in the incoming cabinet, in an apparent reference to reported US opposition to the inclusion of Iran-linked armed groups in the government.

Multiple diplomatic sources previously told Shafaq News that US officials had warned Iraqi leaders against appointing commanders tied to these factions, cautioning that such a move could expose Iraq to sanctions targeting state institutions, including oil revenues.

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Failure to secure a political agreement by Tuesday night, Abdullah warned, could delay the parliamentary confidence session “for several days.”

Last week, Al-Zaidi submitted a 14-point ministerial program to Parliament Speaker Haibet Al-Halbousi ahead of a session expected in the coming days to vote on the new cabinet. Under Article 76 of Iraq’s constitution, the prime minister-designate has 30 days from his April 27 nomination to form a government and secure parliamentary approval.

Read more: Ali al-Zaidi named Iraq's prime minister: Easy nomination, harder road ahead