2026-05-13T17:22:31+00:00
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Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate
Ali Al-Zaidi has yet to finalize his cabinet lineup and continues reviewing
candidates submitted by political blocs and parties, a source close to the
negotiations told Shafaq News on Wednesday.
Al-Zaidi is holding intensive
meetings with a special advisory team to assess résumés and proposed nominees
before making final decisions on ministerial posts, according to the source,
who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the
discussions. “Some portfolios may remain unresolved until the final hours
before Parliament convenes for the confidence vote tomorrow.”
The prime minister-designate has
also raised objections to several nominees and requested replacement candidates
from certain political blocs and parties, the source added.
Earlier today, Hoqooq bloc* MP
Miqdad Al-Khafaji told our agency that Parliament is moving ahead with the
vote despite lawmakers not yet receiving the names or résumés of ministerial
candidates. He noted that the bloc hopes they would be submitted at least 48
hours before the session to allow lawmakers sufficient time to review
qualifications and records, warning that some MPs may boycott the vote if they
remain unconvinced by the proposed nominees.
Parliament’s presidency
officially set Thursday as the date for the confidence vote following days of
political disputes over the timing of the session and the distribution of
ministries among rival factions. Political sources previously said disagreements
persist over sovereign and security portfolios, particularly the oil and
defense ministries, raising the possibility that Al-Zaidi may present only part
of his cabinet for parliamentary approval.
* Hoqooq is the political
wing of the armed group Kataib Hezbollah and is part of the Shiite Coordination
Framework, the largest bloc with about 162 of parliament’s 329 seats.
Read more: Al-Zaidi named Iraq’s prime minister: Easy nomination, harder road ahead