The government formation crisis: between re-presenting names and power-sharing disputes within parliament.
The government formation crisis: between re-presenting names and power-sharing disputes within parliament.
6-1-2026
Information / Report…
Political activity continues as a crucial meeting of the Coordination Framework forces is expected today to finalize the remaining cabinet positions of Prime Minister Ali al-Zidi.
The Coordination Framework will hold an expanded meeting today, Monday, with al-Zidi in attendance, to discuss ending the deadlock that accompanied the partial vote of confidence, which left six key sovereign and service ministries either being run by acting ministers or remaining vacant.
The current disagreements revolve around the mechanisms for distributing portfolios, amidst the ongoing “quota system” problem. Observers believe the issue lies not in selecting competent individuals, but rather in the “political bargaining” imposed by partisan balances and the struggle among various groups for ministries with financial returns and sectarian gains.
The current dispute revolves around the “points system,” with some blocs insisting on receiving their full quotas based on their electoral weight. This has complicated the distribution of ministries such as Defense, Planning, and Higher Education. Furthermore, some political forces are re-nominating candidates who were previously rejected, and others are clinging to the same names that failed to secure parliamentary approval in the last session—a situation described by some parliamentary figures as politically “shameful.”
Indications suggest that political forces are moving towards resolving the issue of completing the cabinet. The Coordination Framework is expected to approve the list of nominees and submit it to Parliament, with a vote scheduled for this week to finalize the cabinet.
In this context, Amer Al-Fayez, a leading figure in the Coordination Framework and head of the Tasmeem parliamentary bloc, confirmed that the Framework’s leaders will hold an important and extensive meeting this evening, in the presence of Prime Minister Ali Al-Zubaidi. He indicated that the meeting will resolve a number of outstanding political and governmental issues.
Al-Fayez told Al-Maalomah News Agency that “the leaders of the Coordination Framework will meet today, Monday, in the presence of Prime Minister Ali al-Zubaidi, where discussions will focus on a range of important political, security, and service-related issues directly impacting the administration of the state.”
He added that “among the issues to be addressed at the meeting is the completion of the current government’s cabinet and the selection of suitable candidates for the vacant positions.”
Al-Fayez explained that “the issue of resubmitting the names of candidates for ministerial portfolios who did not previously receive the confidence of the Council of Representatives is entirely up to the leaders of their respective political blocs,” adding that “it is politically preferable to present new names that enjoy consensus to ensure their passage through Parliament without obstacles.”
For its part, the State of Law Coalition affirmed its commitment to its candidates for the Interior and Higher Education portfolios within the vacant cabinet, indicating that there are no alternatives for them at present.
Coalition member Imran Karkoush told Al-Maalomah News Agency: “The State of Law coalition is firmly committed to its candidate Qasim Atta for the Interior Ministry and Amer Al-Khazai for the Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry,” indicating that the coalition leader, Nouri Al-Maliki, will officially re-present these two names during the upcoming coordination framework meeting in the presence of Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi.
He added that “the aim of resubmitting the nominations is to garner full political support for the candidates from the forces within the Coordination Framework to ensure their smooth passage in Parliament,” explaining that “there are no negative observations or red flags regarding the coalition’s candidates for the two ministries; rather, what occurred in the previous session was merely a technical and organizational ambiguity during the voting process within the House of Representatives.”
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