Outgoing Iraqi PM backs new cabinet as parliament prepares confidence vote

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Wednesday delivered his farewell address, expressing support for the incoming cabinet of Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi and for all decisions taken in the public interest. The remarks came on the eve of a vote of confidence for Zaidi’s cabinet lineup in the Iraqi legislature on Thursday.

“Our government was formed in late October 2022 following a dangerous political turning point that swept the country,” Sudani said, referring to a prolonged political crisis over government formation that had gripped the country at the time.

He added, “We faced regional and international challenges and worked to keep the fire away from our land and people,” in reference to the recent Iran war that broke out in late February with Iraq caught in the crossfire. Sudani noted that, against that backdrop, “We adopted a balanced diplomacy and avoided alignment with regional axes, which reflected positively on internal stability.”

The outgoing premier said that during his tenure, the government focused on “five priorities in our government program: combating corruption, fighting poverty, addressing unemployment, financial and administrative reform, and improving service delievery.”

Accordingly, Sudani expressed his support for Zaidi’s cabinet to continue along the same path, affirming his “determination to support the new government in all decisions taken for the public good.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the Iraqi legislature published its schedule for its Thursday session with one key item on the agenda: “Voting on the ministerial program and the government of Prime Minister-designate Ali Falih al-Zaidi.”

The announcement came amid speculation that the vote of confidence in the incoming cabinet could be delayed due to disputes over ministerial portfolios within the Coordination Framework.

“Disagreements over the allocation of ministerial posts within the Coordination Framework are behind the postponement of parliament’s session to vote on the cabinet,” Aqeel al-Rudaini, spokesperson for the Victory Coalition led by former prime minister Haider al-Abadi (2014 - 2018), told Rudaw on Monday.

He added that “the disputes center on the position of deputy prime minister, sovereign ministries, and the distribution of points used to secure those posts.” Sovereign ministries in Iraq include defense, finance, foreign affairs, interior, and oil.

Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework - the largest bloc in parliament, holding 174 seats in the 329-member legislature - in late April named Zaidi as its candidate for prime minister, a post traditionally held by a Shiite.

President Nizar Amedi on the same day tasked Zaidi with forming a new government and presenting his ministerial program to parliament within 30 days of his designation, as stipulated in the Iraqi constitution.

In the following days, the prime minister-designate held consultations with different political forces to discuss the distribution of ministerial portfolios, and on Thursday he submitted the government program to Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi, the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.

“The program will be circulated among members of parliament for review and examination of its details, while the names of the cabinet lineup will be submitted at a later date,” INA relayed.