Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has filled six out of eight remaining posts in his government, revealed lawmakers and informed sources.
The eight posts are the defense, interior, education, planning, displaced, justice, culture and higher education. The PM is expected to present his proposed candidates before parliament on Monday or Wednesday.
Binaa alliance MP Moenes al-Ghanemi confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the premier had filled six of the vacancies.
All that remains are the interior and defense portfolios that are subject to disputes between Sunni and Shiite powers, he revealed.
The Binaa alliance has been insisting on naming Faleh al-Fayyad as interior minister. Differences, meanwhile, still stand among the Sunnis over the defense post.
Ghanemi stressed that the dispute over the defense and interior portfolios “will be resolved through a vote at parliament, not a prior agreement, given the ongoing differences.
Asked by Asharq Al-Awsat if there were other potential candidates for the portfolios, he replied: “The Binaa alliance is committed to Fayyad. His history backs his nomination because he is a well-known political security figure given the posts that he occupied and the files that he helped address.”
“There are therefore no justifiable reasons to reject his candidacy,” he added.
Moreover, the MP remarked that Abdul Mahdi himself had suggested Fayyad’s nomination.
Meanwhile, the Sunnis are leaning towards nominating former parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri as defense minister.
“This issue needs complete consensus because Jabouri is a legal official, while the defense minister needs to have a military background,” said Ghanemi.
Separately, Turkmen officials criticized Abdul Mahdi for failing to name any Turkmen candidates to his cabinet.
Deputy chief of the Iraqi Turkmen Front Hassan Turan told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The Turkmen are not represented yet in his government.”
“Everyone knows that the Turkmen are deliberately being wronged and viewed as a third minority in Iraq,” he continued.
“Balance cannot be achieved in Kirkuk if Turkmen are not represented in government,” he stated.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
