Iraq’s cabinet completion may be postponed until after legislative recess
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq’s Parliament is unlikely to convene next week, making it increasingly likely that efforts to complete Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s cabinet will be postponed until after the legislature’s summer recess, an Iraqi lawmaker told Shafaq News on Wednesday.
Amer Al-Fayez, head of the Tasmeem Alliance within the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), attributed the delay to Parliament’s legislative break, which runs from the beginning of June until July 1. Filling the remaining ministerial posts, he noted, would require an extraordinary session, although attendance remains uncertain as many lawmakers are traveling or on leave.
Al-Fayez also indicated that the blocs responsible for nominating candidates to the vacant ministries have yet to submit their final names to the prime minister, though the process could move forward quickly if lawmakers agree to hold an emergency sitting.
Earlier today, Ammar Al-Hakim, head of Al-Hikma (Wisdom) Movement, revealed that political parties are currently conducting intensive consultations to fill the remaining cabinet seats, with an emergency parliamentary session under consideration as a mechanism to finalize the vote.
On May 14, Iraq's parliament approved Al-Zaidi's government and ministerial program, granting confidence to 14 ministers out of 23, while nine ministries remained vacant amid disputes over nominees and political quotas, including the Interior, Defense, Higher Education, and Planning ministries. Al-Fayez had previously told Shafaq News that the cabinet lineup was expected to be finalized after the Eid Al-Adha holiday, which began on May 27.
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