"Caretaker Government" qualifications do not apply to al-Kadhimi's government, Judge says

Shafaq News/ Former magistrate said that the definition of "caretaker government" does not apply to Mustafa al-Kadhimi's cabinet anymore since the constitutional deadlines to form a new government have expired.

"Al-Kadhimi's government is not a caretaker government because it has been more than 75 days since the first convention of the new parliament," Judge Raheem al-Akili said in a post he shared on Facebook.

"After the expiry of the constitutional deadlines, the government becomes something new the constitution did not name. I called it in Adel Abdul-Mahdi's era the obstinacy government."

Iraq's Federal Supreme Court said Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's caretaker government has no authority to enact legislation to present to parliament, or strike agreements that could influence Iraq's future.

Sunday's ruling throws into doubt government efforts to meet urgent needs during a transitional period, including the passing of a law that al-Kadhimi says is vital to stem a rise in food poverty.