Al-Azm to nominate Iraqi Planning, Culture ministers after Eid
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq's Al-Azm Alliance will submit nominees for the Planning and Culture ministries after the Eid al-Adha holiday, a senior official said on Saturday, describing the two portfolios as the bloc's entitlement under ongoing political agreements.
Ghanem Al-Aifan, a leader in Al-Azm, a Sunni Arab political coalition led by Muthanna Al-Samarrai, told Shafaq News that the bloc remains committed to supporting Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi's government and has several qualified figures capable of filling the vacant cabinet posts. "We are waiting for the outcome of the political agreements after the Eid holiday, after which we will move forward accordingly.”
The nominations, he explained, will be presented to the prime minister once the Shiite Coordination Framework, Iraq's largest parliamentary bloc, signals readiness to hold a session to complete the vote on the remaining ministries.
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On May 14, Iraq's parliament approved Al-Zaidi's government and ministerial program, granting confidence to 14 ministers out of 23, while nine ministries remained vacant amid disputes over nominees and political quotas, including the Interior, Defense, Higher Education, and Planning ministries.
An Iraqi lawmaker previously told Shafaq News that the cabinet is expected to be completed after the Eid al-Adha holiday, which began on May 27, either through an emergency parliamentary session or after the legislature's recess.
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