Nechirvan Barzani attends parliamentary vote for incoming Iraqi government

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani arrived in Baghdad on Thursday to attend a parliamentary session focused on granting a vote of confidence to the new cabinet of Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, according to the presidency of the Iraqi parliament. 

Safwan al-Jarjari confirmed to Rudaw that Barzani is “attending today’s session of the Iraqi parliament to grant confidence” to Zaidi’s cabinet and his government agenda. 

The Kurdistan Region Presidency affirmed the visit.

The Iraqi parliament  is convening to vote on the government’s program and the proposed ministers under Zaidi’s premiership. The session marks a significant step in Iraq's political transition as the new administration seeks legislative backing.

According to parliamentary officials, preparations for the session are complete. While major political leaders are expected to attend, the vote will not cover the entire cabinet. Jarjari noted that 18 ministries are scheduled for approval today.

However, Sherwan Dubardani, a member of the Iraqi parliament from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) told Rudaw that the ministries of Interior, defense, culture, labor and social affairs, and migration and displaced, along with the four deputy prime minister positions, will not be included in today’s voting process.

Regarding the KDP’s representation in the new government, Danar Abdulghafar, a prominent KDP lawmaker and spokesperson for the bloc in the federal legislature, stated that the party has put forward Fuad Hussein for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Rebaz Hamlan for the Ministry of Housing and Reconstruction. Both candidates are expected to be voted on during the afternoon session.

The Iraqi 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.

However, the Thursday vote of confidence comes amid reported disputes over ministerial portfolios within the Coordination Framework, specifically over the sovereign ministries, namely defense and interior.