Al-Zaydi tightens his grip on security… Strict conditions for Interior and Defense Ministry candidates
Al-Zaydi tightens his grip on security… Strict conditions for Interior and Defense Ministry candidates
2026-08-07
Shafaq News – Baghdad
An informed government source revealed on Thursday that Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali al-Zaidi is still committed to managing the Ministries of Defense and Interior in an “acting” capacity, given his satisfaction with the performance of the current leadership, denying the existence of any political agreement or intention to decide on the names of the two ministers at the present time .
The source told Shafaq News Agency that “Al-Zaydi is satisfied with the performance of the officials who are managing the Ministries of Defense and Interior on an acting basis, and he personally supervises the work of the two ministries. He has also set special criteria and controls for selecting any candidate to assume the two positions .”
He added that “what is being circulated regarding the selection of candidates for the Ministries of Defense or Interior is baseless, as this file is still postponed at the moment, due to the government’s preoccupation with other priorities, most notably addressing the financial crisis, expanding economic and investment partnerships, in addition to unifying efforts to calm regional conditions .”
The source explained that “the political forces or components that fall under the constitutional entitlement of the two ministries are the entity authorized to submit the candidates, but that does not necessarily mean passing any name, as the candidates are subject to the controls set by the Commander-in-Chief, and any candidate who does not meet those criteria may be rejected .”
On May 14, 2026, the Iraqi Parliament granted confidence to the government of Ali Faleh al-Zaidi and its ministerial program, and voted on 14 ministers out of 23, while nine portfolios remained postponed due to disagreements over names and quotas, including the Interior, Defense, Higher Education and Planning ministries .
Since assuming his duties, Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ali al-Zaidi, has initiated sweeping changes in senior executive and military positions within state institutions, as part of a comprehensive restructuring of security and administrative arrangements. He also launched a broad campaign to combat financial and administrative corruption, which has led to the dismissal of dozens of government officials, members of parliament, and businessmen, and resulted in the recovery of billions of dinars and the confiscation of illegally acquired properties and assets .
On May 16, the Prime Minister assigned the senior undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Hussein Al-Awadi, to manage the ministry temporarily, until a new minister is named to succeed Abdul Amir Al-Shammari .
In mid-July, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces issued an order appointing the former Minister of Interior, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, to the position of Director of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces .
Al-Zaydi also issued a decision to abolish the Joint Operations Command and reorganize its tasks within the “Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces “.
On July 26, the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was reopened in the fortified Green Zone in the center of Baghdad with a new structure that integrates the Joint Operations Command, the Office of the Personal Secretary to the Commander-in-Chief, and the National Operations Center into a single structure called the “Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces . ”
Analysts and security experts link this move by the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ali al-Zaidi, to the campaign to confiscate and disarm the armed factions, in addition to efforts to fully integrate the Popular Mobilization Forces into the national defense system .
shafaq.com
