Exclusive: Religious recommendations and the financial crisis halt the activation of deputy prime minister positions.
Exclusive: Religious recommendations and the financial crisis halt the activation of deputy prime minister positions.
2026-09-05
Shafaq News – Baghdad
A source within the coordination framework revealed on Saturday that the decision not to reactivate the positions of deputy prime ministers came based on recommendations from religious authorities inside and outside Iraq, noting that the financial and political circumstances the country is going through pushed towards maintaining the cancellation of these positions at the present stage.
The source told Shafaq News Agency that “this also comes as Iraq moves into a new phase after the final withdrawal of US forces from the country, in addition to other pressing issues that push towards not activating the positions of deputy prime ministers.”
He added that “political and partisan forces are linked to spiritual and religious authorities, whether inside or outside Iraq, and therefore they operate according to the directives or advice that serve the interests of the country,” indicating that “these positions are, in part, positions of appeasement for some political parties and forces, and there is no urgent need at the present time to activate them.”
The source indicated that “the leaders of the coordination framework had voted to activate the work of these positions, with the exception of the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, who refused to vote,” noting that “creating any concessionary positions at the present time is difficult, as it constitutes an additional financial burden on the state treasury.”
He continued, saying that “some have suggested activating these positions without financial allocations, but the current circumstances do not encourage the creation of new positions.”
For his part, MP Jihad Saddam Al-Abadi, from the Design Alliance, confirmed to Shafaq News Agency that “Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi was opposed to activating the positions of the Vice Presidents of the Republic, as he believes that it is preferable for the government to be formed in this manner in service of the public interest.”
It is worth noting that MP Abu Turab Al-Tamimi, during his interview with Shafaq News Agency last Tuesday, criticized the creation of the positions of Vice Presidents of the Republic and Ministers, while the spokesman for the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, Firas Al-Muslawi, confirmed that the nomination of candidates for the two vice presidencies will be after the completion of the government cabinet.
Parliament Speaker Hebat al-Halbousi had called on President Nizar Amidi, after he took the constitutional oath (April 11, 2026), to consult with the political blocs to name the vice presidents of the republic in accordance with Article 75 of the constitution.
In 2016, Haider al-Abadi’s government abolished the positions of vice presidents as part of a package of reforms, before the Supreme Federal Court later ruled the abolition unconstitutional, stressing that the position was a constitutional duty.
shafaq.com
