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Iraq PM-designate to present new cabinet in two days

October 23, 2018 at 2:46 pm

Prime Minister-designate of Iraq, Adel Abdul Mahdi [ACMCU/Twitter]

The Iraqi Prime Minister-designate, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, will submit the names of his new cabinet to the Iraqi parliament for approval within the next two days, political sources said on Monday.

A source familiar with the government formation talks told the New Arab that Abdul-Mahdi has almost chosen candidates to fill the 15 ministerial positions and will likely submit their names to parliament on Wednesday. The source noted that some political blocs are still discussing particular positions to serve their interests.

According to the source, Abdul-Mahdi has been under intense pressure in trying to form a diverse cabinet that will obtain parliamentary approval. However, the source said the proposed candidates – whose names will be presented to the parliament for a vote – will not include sovereign or security ministers, which will be postponed until a later session.

The source added that not all candidates will win the parliament’s confidence because a number of them lack political consensus. Meanwhile, Iraqi political blocs said parliament will reject candidates with political affiliation from the new government formation.

READ: Iraqi parliament to cancel appointment decisions made by ‘outgoing Abadi’