Iraqi government anticipates finalising remaining portfolios and nominees

Intensive political discussions continue with the objective of putting the final touches on the governmental formation, amidst parliamentary indications confirming the imminent finalisation of vacant ministerial portfolios despite ongoing debates regarding the nominees for the ministries of culture, defence, and planning. Current understandings show notable progress in several files that previously constituted points of contention among participating factions, as parliamentarians emphasise the necessity of expediting this task to ensure political stability and enable the executive authority to implement its announced agenda, while monitoring parties called for prioritising the public interest and utilising specialised competencies. In the same context, Representative Badr Al-Fahd clarified that the path of completing the ministers has reached advanced stages, pointing out that current disputes are limited to the forces operating under the Sunni Political Council regarding the culture portfolio, while the remaining portfolios have been agreed upon. Al-Fahd indicated the presence of several names nominated for the Ministry of Defence such as Naif Al-Shammari, Ali Al-Araji, and Talal Al-Jubouri, in addition to the Al-Azm bloc nominating Mohammed Ali for the Ministry of Planning, noting that the final resolution remains in the hands of the Prime Minister within comprehensive understandings. For his part, Representative Ahmed Al-Khazaali mentioned that other names circulated by political circles for the defence portfolio include Juma Anad alongside the previous names, confirming that Naif Al-Shammari enjoys broad chances of acceptance. Al-Khazaali pointed to a breakthrough in the Ministry of the Interior file after the State of Law Coalition relinquished its previous candidate Qasim Atta in favour of Representative Yasser Al-Maliki, considering that the completion rate of the formation has reached around ninety percent and voting will take place soon. In turn, Representative Ahmed Al-Saadi pointed to the continuation of dialogues and the consolidation of understandings regarding several ministries, stating that the Saidoon Alliance obtained the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs with its candidate Mohammed Al-Mousawi, and the allocation of the Youth and Sports portfolio to the State Forces Alliance with its candidate Safaa Al-Kanani, in addition to nominating Yasser Al-Maliki for the interior, Ali Al-Dakhil for the tourism ministry, and Haider Baha for higher education. Al-Saadi also indicated the proposal to establish an artificial intelligence ministry to be assumed by Mohammed Al-Darraji, and proposing names such as Ribaz Hamlan and Banaz Doski for the housing ministry, alongside discussing the establishment of a state ministry for the Turkmen component. From his side, Ghanem Al-Aifan, a leader in the Azm Alliance, confirmed the existence of intensive movement for meetings of the Coordination Framework forces to complete the formation and submit names pending the determination of the parliament session date, warning against the repercussions of the continued ministerial vacancy on managing vital files such as the budget, weapons control, and defence. Representative Mahdi Taqi Al-Amirli expected resolution to take place during the coming week after convergence of views between the blocs. In conclusion, political analyst Abbas Al-Jubouri considered that accomplishing the cabinet represents a pivotal step to support stability, provided that reliance is placed on criteria of competence and expertise and leaving aside side disputes, stressing the importance of activating the parliament regulatory role and legislating reform laws to enhance citizen confidence in the political process and translate compromises into field work that meets actual needs.