SLC picks nominees for interior, higher education ministries

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The State of Law Coalition (SLC), led by former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, has formally nominated Yasser Sakhil for Iraq’s interior minister, an informed source told Shafaq News on Saturday.

The coalition also nominated Haider Baha, currently dean of the College of Pharmacy at Al-Nahrain University, for higher education minister and submitted both names to Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, he added.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Qusay Abbas of the Badr parliamentary bloc, affiliated with the Badr Organization led by Hadi Al-Amiri, told Shafaq News that political blocs were continuing negotiations over the remaining cabinet posts, with no date yet set for Parliament to vote on the outstanding nominations. The final choice of candidates, he noted, rests with Al-Zaidi, who must submit their names to lawmakers.

Parliament approved Al-Zaidi’s government and ministerial program on May 14, granting confidence to 14 ministers while postponing votes on nine remaining portfolios amid political disagreements over the allocation of ministries.

In September, a government source told Shafaq News that a proposed mechanism would allow the prime minister to submit the remaining nominees as a “single package” if political forces failed to agree on candidates or the distribution of ministries.