Iraq PM-designate sets up teams to shape cabinet and agenda

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Iraqi Prime Minister-designate, Ali Al-Zaidi, has formed two teams to draft the government program and select the ministerial cabinet, a member of Iraq’s Coordination Framework, Abu Methaq al-Masari, told Shafaq News on Wednesday.

Al-Masari noted that Al-Zaidi revealed the step during a visit to Hadi al-Ameri, Secretary General of the Badr Organization, describing the Coordination Framework’s nomination of Al-Zaidi as serious and official. “Al-Zaidi’s meetings with bloc leaders on Wednesday reflect his intent to accelerate government formation,” he added.

Separately, a political source told Shafaq News that the distribution of ministries will be based on a points system tied to parliamentary representation. “Service ministries will require no fewer than 10 parliamentary seats, while sovereign ministries will require more than 15 seats,” he explained, clarifying that the allocation of independent bodies “will be determined after the cabinet formation is completed.”

Another source within the Framework told our agency that political leaders are set to meet with Al-Zaidi later today to discuss cabinet formation, including the structure of the next government and the distribution of ministerial portfolios based on agreed criteria.