Iraq's governing Shia-Kurdish alliance at risk after dismissal of Kurdish minister

The dismissal of a prominent Kurdish minister from the Iraqi government has put at risk the future of the 9-year-old Shia-Kurdish alliance, AlKhalieejonline reported on Monday.

Last Wednesday, the Iraqi parliament ousted finance minister and member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Hoshyar Zebari.

Observers believe this development might lead to the dissolution of the Shia-Kurdish alliance, especially given that he is the third senior Kurdish official to be dismissed from the federal government in Iraq in less than two years.

Prior to last week’s dismissal of Zebari, Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi last year sacked the country’s Chief of Staff Babker Zebari; he was replaced by a Shia.

In the reshuffle which took place last month, another Kurdish politician, Rosh Shawish, lost his post as Iraq’s deputy prime minister.

The Shia-Kurdish alliance came into being in October 2007 when leaders of the main Shia and Kurdish parties agreed on a document that promised genuine partnership among political parties in governing the country. That agreement now seems to be unravelling.