Iraq’s parliament approves partial Cabinet lineup

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s parliament on Thursday voted to approve the government program and part of the Cabinet lineup of Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi but hit an impasse over some of the ministerial appointments.

The 270 lawmakers in attendance voted to confirm 14 ministers in the 23-member Cabinet. Most were newcomers to the government, but foreign minister Fuad Hussein retained his post.

Nominees for three posts – interior minister, higher education minister and planning minister – failed to win parliamentary approval. Voting on other positions – including the defense, labor, housing and reconstruction and education ministers – was postponed to a later stage, with no date set.

Iraqi politics is prone to deadlock and has often seen lengthy periods of political vacuum.

Under a power-sharing arrangement among the political factions, the dominant parliamentary bloc – the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties allied with Iran – picks 12 ministers, while Sunni parties choose six, Kurdish parties four and religious minorities one.

The next government will have to deal with the political and economic fallout of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which spilled over into Iraq while the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted the oil exports on which Iraq’s economy depends.

The government program approved by the lawmakers includes priorities related to improving public services, addressing the electricity crisis, and supporting economic stability, in addition to combating corruption, reforming public administration, and strengthening the rule of law.

The program also includes provisions related to restricting weapons to the state, which may be difficult to implement in practice.

Multiple Iran-backed militias operate in Iraq, and during the recent U.S.-Israeli war with Iran they launched frequent attacks on U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities. Washington has been pushing Baghdad to control the armed groups. However, Tehran is likely to push back against their disarmament.

Two officials with the Coordination Framework, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment, said Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has instructed several Shiite political and armed faction leaders not to proceed with any steps related to disarmament at this stage, delaying the issue until the trajectory of U.S.–Iran negotiations becomes clearer.

The officials said that Qaani also called for postponing voting on ministries associated with political groups that have affiliated armed factions.

Al-Zaidi, a businessman with no political background, emerged as a consensus candidate for prime minister after weeks of internal debate among the Coordination Framework’s member parties aimed at selecting a compromise candidate to lead the next government. He received the blessing of officials in both the U.S. and Iran. Iraq has close ties with the two rival countries and has long performed a delicate balancing act between them.

U.S. envoy to Iraq Tom Barrack in a post on X congratulating al-Zaidi on the government formation, wrote, “We are encouraged by your fresh leadership and look forward to collaborating on a bold new agenda aligned with our shared interests.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a post of his own congratulated al-Zaidi and also congratulated Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, who was reappointed to the post.

“Expanding friendly and brotherly relations between Tehran and Baghdad remains, at all times, a top priority of our foreign policy,” he wrote.