Iraqi MP Qusay Al-Shabaki of the "Badr" parliamentary bloc indicated on Thursday that finalizing the remaining vacant cabinet posts will likely occur after Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi completes his mid-September official tour of Europe.
Government Spokesperson Haider Al-Aboudi had previously announced in late August that Al-Zaidi is scheduled to visit France and Germany around mid-September to broaden Iraq's diplomatic ties and discuss key strategic issues, including security affairs.
In a press statement, Al-Shabaki affirmed that the Coordination Framework and other political entities are working in tandem with the Prime Minister to finalize the government structure, adding that recent negotiations within the Administration of State Coalition focused on resolving the remaining appointments swiftly.
He specified that key political friction points involve securing agreement on nominees for the nine unfilled posts, particularly the strategic Defense and Interior ministries, as well as the Ministry of Migration and Displaced. Consequently, submitting the final list of nominees to Parliament will remain on hold until after the Prime Minister’s return from Europe.
Iraq's Parliament initially granted confidence to Ali Al-Zaidi's government on May 14 by confirming 14 ministers, while votes on the remaining nine positions were deferred due to persistent political factionalism over portfolio distribution and reported international concerns regarding the representation of armed groups. The Coordination Framework has formally authorized Al-Zaidi to negotiate directly with political leaders to agree on candidate selections for the vacant ministries.
