Iraqi finance minister survives vote of no confidence

Iraqi Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari, an ethnic Kurd from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), survived a vote of no confidence today after lawmakers failed to turn up in sufficient numbers to vote.

Zebari will therefore continue in his post, despite allegations of corruption and graft.

 Zebari had previously told the Kurdish Rudaw news agency that he was hopeful that he would survive the vote of no confidence and described the parliamentary motion as “politically motivated” and “without substance”.

 Although Zebari claims to enjoy broad support from not only Kurdish MPs but also Sunni and Shia politicians, some Kurdish Islamists had expressed that they would not back the embattled finance minister.

 “If a vote of confidence is held in the parliament, I will not vote [in support of] him,” Kurdish MP Muthanna Amin from the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) told Rudaw.

Although the vote was cancelled as parliament was inquorate, Zebari did not technically win the vote and faces the possibility of fending off future motions to have him ousted by his political opponents.

Last month, Zebari was asked to present himself for questioning by Haitham Al-Jubouri, the head of the Iraqi parliamentary finance committee. Al-Jubouri accused Zebari of spending $2 million of state funds annually to finance accommodation and other expenses for his personal bodyguards, charges he denies.

Al-Jubouri belongs to the State of Law Coalition led by the former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. MPs from the Shia Dawa Party, to which Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi belongs, are largely behind the vote of no confidence against Zebari.

Zebari has held the office of finance minister since October 2014. Prior to that, he was Iraq’s foreign minister since 2005.