Iraq
Abdullah al-Zaidi, an advisor to the Iraqi president and senior member of the al-Hikma Movement, speaks to Rudaw on May 10, 2026. Photo: Screengrab/ Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior figure in Iraq’s al-Hikma Movement said on Sunday that Kurdish and Sunni political parties have reached an agreement with Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi on their shares in the incoming cabinet, as parliament prepares to vote on the new government within days, adding that the US opposes granting ministries to armed factions unless they disarm.
“According to information, our Kurdish and Sunni brothers have reached an agreement with the Prime Minister-designate, and their ministries will remain as they are,” Abdullah al-Zaidi, an advisor to the Iraqi president and senior member of the Shiite al-Hikma Movement, led by Ammar al-Hakim, told Rudaw.
The politician also said the Kurds are expected to receive four ministries and Sunnis six, with the possible addition of a deputy prime minister position without a ministry.
His remarks come as Iraq’s parliament prepares for a confidence vote on the new cabinet in the coming days, according to the secretary-general of the legislature Safwan al-Jarjari who said late Saturday that all preparations for the session had been finalized and that invitations would be sent to political leaders and diplomats ahead of the vote, which could take place on Monday or Tuesday.
“We hope the government will pass by the middle or end of this week. If not Tuesday, I expect it to be Thursday,” al-Hikma’s Zaidi said, adding that the cabinet could still secure approval “with an absolute majority” even if not fully complete.
Zaidi said the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework is facing two major obstacles in finalizing the cabinet lineup, the first being the issue of armed factions seeking ministries.
“The US has a veto on those forces that have armed wings and wish to take over ministries,” he said.
“Washington has a condition that these parties must engage only in political work and hand over their weapons - specifically missiles and drones - to the official security forces,” the al-Hikma official added.
Washington has repeatedly urged Baghdad to assert full control over its security apparatus and curb the influence of armed groups affiliated with Iran operating outside state command.
The second challenge, according to the Shiite politician, is disagreement among Shiite parties over the allocation of ministries under a “points system,” where key sovereign ministries such as oil and finance carry the highest value.
He said two-thirds of the ministries allocated to the Shiite share remain unresolved.
Iraq held legislative elections in November, and parliament in April elected Nizar Amedi, the nominee of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), as president. Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi submitted his ministerial program to Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi on Thursday ahead of the anticipated confidence vote.
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