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Iraq parties reject PM’s government reshuffle

September 16, 2020 at 1:50 pm

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in Baghdad, Iraq, 10 September 2020 [IraqiPMO/Twitter]

Iraqi political parties on Monday rejected the new changes brought by Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi to senior positions in the security, economic, administrative and financial government bodies.

In separate statements, the Sairoon Alliance, the Al-Fatah coalition and State of Law Coalition rejected Al-Kadhimi’s government reshuffle saying they were surprised by the new appointments.

The Sairoon Alliance, supported by Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, said in a statement that the new appointments are dominated by party and political frameworks which “represents a setback in the reform project”.

Hadi Al-Ameri, the head of Al-Fatah coalition, which includes most of the Popular Mobilisation Forces, also rejected Al-Kadhimi’s changes, saying they represent “a return to the quota system”.

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The State of Law Coalition said the new changes radicalise the quota system, adding that it had warned of such changes since the inception of the current government.

Al-Kadhimi announced on Monday changes to 15 high-ranking positions, including the governor of the central bank, the head of the Shia endowment office and the head of the Public Integrity Commission.