Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraqi lawmakers have submitted a proposal requiringincoming ministers in Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi’s government tosign written pledges barring themselves and close relatives from contestingfuture elections as part of the government program he is expected to present,MP Ali Al-Sarai revealed on Wednesday.
Al-Sarai, a lawmaker from the Reconstruction andDevelopment bloc led by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, toldShafaq News that the measure would prohibit ministers from running in futureparliamentary or provincial elections, while first- and second-degree relativeswould also be excluded from candidacy. The proposal, he clarified, is intendedto prevent ministries from being used for electoral promotion and curb the useof state resources and official influence during campaigns.
The restrictions would also apply to officials holdingministerial and deputy minister ranks, with plans to later incorporate themeasure into Iraq’s Election Law through legislative amendments.
Parliament is expected to hold a confidence vote nextweek, with Al-Zaidi set to present his cabinet and government program by theend of this week.
The Shiite Coordination Framework, the largest parliamentarybloc with about 162 of 329 seats, granted Al-Zaidi broader authority to formhis cabinet following his nomination on April 27, although negotiationscontinue under a points-based system that allocates ministries according toparliamentary representation. Service ministries are typically assigned toblocs holding at least 10 seats, while sovereign portfolios are generallyreserved for factions with more than 15.
Political sources previously told our agency that theincoming government may be presented without a complete cabinet lineup as talkscontinue over deputy prime minister positions and key ministries.
Cabinet formation in Iraq is traditionally governed bythe muhasasa system, a post-2003 power-sharing arrangement that distributespositions among the country’s main political and ethnic blocs.
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