Al-Azm to nominate Iraqi Planning, Culture ministers after Eid – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Al-Azm Alliance will submit nominees for the Planning and
Culture ministries after the Eid al-Adha holiday, a senior official said on
Saturday, describing the two portfolios as the bloc’s entitlement under ongoing
political agreements.

Ghanem Al-Aifan, a leader in Al-Azm, a Sunni Arab political
coalition led by Muthanna Al-Samarrai, told Shafaq News that the bloc remains
committed to supporting Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s government and has
several qualified figures capable of filling the vacant cabinet posts. “We
are waiting for the outcome of the political agreements after the Eid holiday,
after which we will move forward accordingly.”

The nominations, he explained, will be presented to the prime
minister once the Shiite Coordination Framework, Iraq’s largest parliamentary
bloc, signals readiness to hold a session to complete the vote on the remaining
ministries.

Read more: What does Iraq’s new government promise?

On May 14, Iraq’s parliament approved Al-Zaidi’s government and
ministerial program, granting confidence to 14 ministers out of 23, while nine
ministries remained vacant amid disputes over nominees and political quotas,
including the Interior, Defense, Higher Education, and Planning ministries.

An Iraqi lawmaker previously told Shafaq News that the cabinet is
expected to be completed after the Eid al-Adha holiday, which began on May 27,
either through an emergency parliamentary session or after the legislature’s
recess.

Read more: Ali Al-Zaidi’s incomplete cabinet faces Iraqi armed factions test