ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework announced on Monday its decision to begin filling ministries that have remained vacant since the new government was sworn in back in May despite remaining disagreements over the ministry of interior and the allotment of four deputies to the Iraqi prime minister.
The framework “decided to proceed with filling the vacant ministers in order to complete the formation of the government and enable it to carry out its duties,” read a Monday night statement from the ruling coalition.
Nine ministries in the current cabinet of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s administration remain vacant. Back in May, during the confidence voting sessions in the Iraqi parliament during which Zaidi took office, disagreements arose between Shiite parties among themselves as well as with Sunni parties, resulting in the suspension of the session.
Despite the agreement, the two major parties of the Coalition Framework are at odds, namely, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition and the Sadiqoon Movement, the political arm of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, over two points - appointments to the ministry of interior and the positions of the four deputies to the prime minister.
In an interview with Iraqi channel al-Sharqiya that aired on Friday, Maliki said the ruling coalition had agreed to finalize cabinet appointments within this week.
"Our nominee for the Ministry of Interior is Qassim Atta. Neither the Prime Minister has rejected him, nor do we," added Maliki, claiming Atta has already gathered 250 signatures for his nomination.
Atta is an established figure within the Iraqi security architecture. He became renowned as the spokesperson for the Law and Order Operation in Baghdad in 2007 when the government of then prime minister Maliki undertook security measures amid deteriorating security conditions. He then served as the Director of Operations at the Iraqi Intelligence Services from 2012 to 2015, engaged in counter-terrorism operations.
A possible change in Sadiqoon’s share of the government remains a point of contention. Initially allocated the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and a deputy prime minister for security affairs, the movement’s second allotment remains unresolved.
Sadiqoon has long maintained that its nominee for the position of deputy prime minister is Layth al-Khazaali, the brother of Qais al-Khazaali, head of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq - one of the political parties within the ruling framework as well as a member of a paramilitary organization within the PMF- designated by the US government in January 2023 as a foreign terrorist organization along with both Khazaali brothers as specially designated global terrorists.
Maliki opposed the veto, framing it as “an intervention in our internal affairs.” It is “unfathomable that a big power like America intervenes to veto nominees. This is unacceptable,” he said at the time.
Maliki maintains opposition to there being four deputy ministers of parliament. "Practically, strictly speaking, there is no need for four deputies to the Prime Minister."
Fearing the loss of a critical share of their government, Sadiqoon has now begun targeting Maliki’s desired ministry, namely, appointment allotments to the ministry of interior, confirmed by Hussein al-Shihani, Sadiqoon MP in the Iraqi Parliament during his interview with another Iraq channel, al-Dijla.
Shihani, who said he spoke for Qais al-Khazaali, Sadiqoon faction and Asaib [Ahl al-Haq], said his party would demand the position of the ministry of interior if the number of deputy prime ministers were to decrease.
Shihani said that parties were allocated their share of governmental positions based on the fact that there would be four deputies to the prime minister.
"If the number is decreased, we have no problem...we will then allocate all of our points towards the Ministry of Interior. We will nominate someone whom the Prime Minister accepts, and who can earn such wide arching national consensus never seen before,” posited Shihani.
Shihani said of the four deputies proposed, two are allocated to Shiites, one for Kurds, and one for Sunnis.
"An agreement was made on there being four deputies, namely two Shiites, one Kurd and one Sunni, to the Prime Minister without any privileges...everyone in the [Coordination] Framework voted and accepted this, except for Mr. Maliki."
There has been no agreement thus far, said Shihani.
