{"id":87712,"date":"2026-04-28T14:59:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/87712\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T14:59:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:59:17","slug":"iraq-names-little-known-banker-ali-al-zaidi-as-prime-minister-after-five-month-deadlock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/87712\/","title":{"rendered":"Iraq names little-known banker Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister after five-month deadlock"},"content":{"rendered":"

The real story of Zaidi is that he is largely unknown and appears to have been chosen almost by chance, as if Iraq\u2019s politicians simply settled on a random figure to lead the country.<\/p>\n

Iraq\u2019s chaotic and byzantine system of governance has finally moved to appoint a new prime minister. The decision comes 167 days, around five and a half months, after Iraq held elections in November 2025. The new prime minister-designate is Ali al-Zaidi, described as a businessman with a background in banking. The bank he ran has been accused of corruption.<\/p>\n

The real story of Zaidi is that he is largely unknown and appears to have been chosen almost by chance, as if Iraq\u2019s politicians simply settled on a random figure to lead the country. In reality, the underlying political dynamics often result in the selection of unqualified, relatively compliant, and weak figures for the premiership.<\/p>\n

Why is Iraq like this? The country\u2019s process for appointing a prime minister<\/a> is highly unusual. After the US removed Saddam Hussein, Iraq drafted a new constitution. On the surface, both the constitution and the political system appear normal, and the country has held elections since 2005, functioning as a democracy. However, following decades under a Sunni Arab strongman, Iraq has in recent years gravitated toward weak leadership. One key reason, likely the central one, is that Iran prefers Iraq to remain weak.<\/p>\n

Iran has deep influence in Iraq via the Popular Mobilization Forces, a group of Iranian-backed militias. It also exerts significant influence through various Shi\u2019ite political parties. Since 2005, Iraq\u2019s political system has divided leadership roles along religious and ethnic lines, similar to Lebanon. The president is Kurdish, the prime minister is a Shi\u2019ite Arab, and the speaker of parliament is a Sunni Arab.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A boy holds an Iraqi flag near the Iranian embassy during a gathering following the announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and the United States, in Baghdad, Iraq, April 8, 2026. (credit: REUTERS\/AHMED SAAD)<\/p>\n

What is known about Zaidi?<\/p>\n

The prime minister is the most powerful official in the country and is chosen by consensus among the Shi\u2019ite political parties. These parties come together under the Coordination Framework. This arrangement ensures that the Shi\u2019ite bloc remains unified and reduces the likelihood of appointing a prime minister who is overly aligned with Kurdish interests. It also allows Iran to maintain influence and control behind the scenes. A weak prime minister ultimately serves Iran\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n

During the recent Iran conflict, for instance, there were around 1,000 attacks in Iraq by Iranian-backed militias<\/a> and Iran. These attacks targeted US forces as well as the Kurdistan Region. Having a weak prime minister means no one will confront the Iranian-backed militias. The militias often have politicians in parliament, making it nearly impossible to separate them from the state. This is similar to how Hezbollah operates in Lebanon. In Iraq, however, the situation is even worse.<\/p>\n

What is known about Zaidi? He served as the director of Al-Janoob Islamic Bank and CEO of Dijlah TV, according to reports. He holds a master\u2019s degree in finance and is also said to own the Taawon Hypermarket shopping centers in Baghdad. Rudaw media in Erbil noted that \u201cHis designation, while welcomed by the country\u2019s top leadership, also drew scrutiny over his past ties to a bank that has faced restrictions on conducting US dollar transactions as part of a wider crackdown by Baghdad on the illegal use of the greenback.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Iraq\u2019s<\/p>\n

Iraq\u2019s newly elected president Nizar Amedi attends a parliamentary session in Baghdad, Iraq, April 11, 2026. (credit: IRAQI PARLIAMENT MEDIA OFFICE\/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)<\/p>\n

Some politicians welcome the appointment<\/p>\n

Zaidi expressed \u201cgratitude and appreciation\u201d to Iraqi President Nizar Amedi<\/a> for \u201censuring the completion of the constitutional process within its designated timeframe,\u201d Rudaw reported. He said he will work \u201cwith all political parties to form a government that meets citizens\u2019 demands, strengthens security and stability, and achieves comprehensive development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other politicians have welcomed his appointment, largely because Iraqis are exhausted after a five-month process to find a leader. Iraq\u2019s President Nizar Amedi wrote on X that \u201cIn line with our constitutional responsibilities, we have tasked the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc, Ali al-Zaidi, with forming the new government.\u201d Iraq\u2019s Speaker of Parliament Haibet al-Halbousi also praised Zaidi.<\/p>\n

According to one report, Zaidi\u2019s appointment was supported by current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as well as former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. Maliki had sought the position, but the US opposed his candidacy. Qais Khazali, head of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, also supported Zaidi. Reports say that Zaidi was involved in a bank accused of evading US sanctions and smuggling US dollars. It may have also been linked to \u201claundering for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards,\u201d an informed observer wrote on X.<\/p>\n

Sudani, the current prime minister, wrote, \u201cwe extend our congratulations and felicitations to Mr. Ali Falah Kazim Al-Zaidi, on the occasion of his nomination by the forces of the Coordination Framework, which represents the largest parliamentary bloc, and the issuance of the mandate book entrusting him with forming the upcoming government by the President of the Republic, wishing him success in his national mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, wrote on X, \u201cduring a phone call with Mr. Ali Al-Zaidi, we congratulated him on his appointment as Federal Prime Minister, expressing our wishes for his success in the mission of forming the new federal government. We also expressed our support for addressing all contentious issues based on the constitution, and our aspiration for Iraq to witness a new era filled with security, stability, and peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2025, The Arab Weekly described the accusations against the bank linked to Zaidi: \u201cIn the case of Al-Janoob Islamic Bank, ownership traces back to Ali Zaidi, a businessman best known for securing multimillion-dollar government contracts. Likewise, Ashur International Bank is controlled by Wadih Nouri al-Hanzal and his family. As the head of Iraq\u2019s Private Banks League, al-Hanzal holds significant interests across multiple companies, consolidating considerable economic influence. The concentration of financial authority within these powerful familial dynasties underscores a broader pattern of corruption and collusion that the US government has flagged as a serious threat to Iraq\u2019s economic stability. Both Al-Janoob Islamic Bank and Ashur International Bank are controlled by figures deeply linked to the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF).\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The real story of Zaidi is that he is largely unknown and appears to have been chosen almost…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87713,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[30690,31159,1711,34,94,16890,31156,5616,31158,1679,31157],"class_list":{"0":"post-87712","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-iraq","8":"tag-ali-al-zaidi","9":"tag-ali-zaidi","10":"tag-baghdad","11":"tag-iran","12":"tag-iraq","13":"tag-iraqi-president","14":"tag-political-parties","15":"tag-political-system","16":"tag-president-nizar-amedi","17":"tag-prime-minister","18":"tag-zaidi"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116482930661053908","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}