Completing al-Zaydi’s cabinet: Dispute over names after the election results were finalized
Completing al-Zaydi’s cabinet: Dispute over names after the election results were finalized
6-11-2026
The crisis surrounding the completion of Prime Minister al-Zaidi’s cabinet reflects the ongoing conflict within the Iraqi political landscape between the concept of electoral entitlement based on the numerical strength of political parties, and the criteria for selecting candidates to fill vacant ministerial posts. After his government received a partial vote of confidence with only 14 ministers appointed and the remaining ministries left vacant, al-Zaidi finds himself facing a complex dilemma. Political forces, particularly within the Coordination Committee and allied blocs, are attempting to impose a system of points and partisan quotas as an inalienable constitutional and electoral right. This approach clashes with the Prime Minister’s desire to select individuals capable of implementing his service and economic program, on the one hand, and with international and regional pressures, specifically the American veto on certain names associated with armed factions, on the other.
This tension led to Parliament’s rejection of several previously nominated candidates and the postponement of appointments to key sovereign and security ministries such as Defense and Interior. This prompted political blocs to reassess their positions and move towards replacing those figures with new names to avoid obstruction and address the challenges of consolidating weapons under state control.
Amid these complex circumstances and rapidly evolving regional developments, the process of completing the remaining cabinet positions teeters between the necessity of expediting the government’s approval as a complete package to ensure stability, and the parties’ clinging to influence through their nominees. This makes the upcoming parliamentary sessions a true test of al-Zubaidi’s ability to maneuver between imposing his technocratic conditions and yielding to the imposed reality of electoral power-sharing.
In this context, Salam al-Zubaidi, a leader in the Victory Coalition, confirmed on Thursday that the political forces had resolved the issue of electoral entitlements related to the vacant ministerial portfolios, indicating that the current disagreement is limited to agreeing on the nominees for those positions.
Al-Zubaidi told Al-Maalomah News Agency that “the government has held extensive consultations with political forces to expedite an extraordinary session to vote on the remaining cabinet positions,” noting that “this session will be held immediately after the parliamentary recess ends.”
He added that “the State of Law Coalition intends to present an alternative candidate alongside the previous nominee, Qasim Atta, to allow the Prime Minister the freedom to choose between the two names,” while also revealing “political disagreements regarding the names nominated by the Sadiqun bloc for its ministerial quota.”
For her part, Member of Parliament Ibtisam Al-Hilali revealed that there is intensive political activity led by the Coordination Framework forces to finalize the issue of the vacant ministerial portfolios in the current government, suggesting that members of parliament will be called to vote on them soon.
Al-Hilali told Al-Maalomah News Agency that “the last meeting of the Coordination Framework, which was held in the presence of Prime Minister Ali Al-Zubaidi, witnessed a firm emphasis by the attendees on the necessity of completing the vote on the remaining vacant ministries in the coming period.”
She added that “there is parliamentary and political determination to finalize the cabinet to ensure the full implementation of the government program with all necessary powers and executive efforts.”
It should be noted that the Iraqi parliament is currently in its first legislative recess, and the vote on the vacant ministerial posts is expected to be at the top of the agenda for the first sessions after the new legislative term resumes.
almaalomah.me
