Iraq's prime minister-designate to submit cabinet on May 9
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi has informed leaders of the Coordination Framework of his intention to present his ministerial cabinet on May 9, with parliament scheduled to hold a confidence vote the following week, according to a member of the parliamentary Services Bloc (Khadamat).
"Al-Zaidi has the constitutional time required to finalize his government lineup and submit it to the Council of Representatives within the designated period," MP Mohammed al-Shammari told Shafaq News on Monday. Intensive political efforts are underway, he added, to resolve all remaining ministerial appointments before the confidence session.
Cabinet portfolio allocation remains incomplete, with negotiations still active across political blocs. The incoming government, according to the source, is set to comprise 22 ministries, distributed as follows: 12 for the Shiite Coordination Framework factions, six for Sunni blocs, and four for Kurdish parties.
On the Sunni side, the Ministry of Higher Education is set to go to the Taqaddum Party —led by Mohammed al-Halbousi, who holds 27 parliamentary seats— while the Defense Ministry is slated for the al-Azm Alliance, led by Muthanna al-Samarrai, which holds 15 seats, according to a political source who spoke to Shafaq News earlier this week.
Al-Zaidi is expected to meet with Sunni leaders, including al-Halbousi, whose party has raised the ceiling of its cabinet demands, a development, the source revealed, that has generated friction in political backchannels as Sunni portfolio negotiations enter direct bargaining, the sources said.
Kurdish demands in the talks center on portfolio weight, not just portfolio count. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which secured 26 seats, is pushing to retain the foreign affairs and construction and housing ministries, seeking representation commensurate with its electoral standing and a broader role across executive institutions.
Read more: Ali al-Zaidi named Iraq's prime minister: Easy nomination, harder road ahead
