Shafaq News- Baghdad
The Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi will not complete hisCabinet lineup until after his expected visit to the United States later thismonth, Amer Al-Fayez, a lawmaker and senior figure in the CoordinationFramework told Shafaq News on Saturday.
The parliament will resume its sessions with the start ofthe new legislative term on Monday, but a vote on nominees for the remainingministerial posts has been postponed, Al-Fayes said, adding that Al-Zaidi willsubmit the names of candidates for the vacant ministries after concludingpolitical consultations.
“Disagreements over some nominees remain unresolved,” henoted, explaining that several political blocs are still finalizing theirinternal power-sharing arrangements and selecting candidates for the remainingCabinet positions, delaying completion of the government.
On May 14, the Parliament approved al-Zaidi's government andministerial program, granting confidence to 14 ministers, while voting on theremaining nine cabinet posts was postponed amid disputes over their allocation.
Al-Fayez dismissed reports of discussions within theCoordination Framework or parliament about creating new ministries orabolishing existing ones.
Al-Zaidi is expected visit toWashington in mid-July at the invitation of US President Donald Trump to discuss economic and investment issues, includingthe release of about $30B in Iraqi financial guarantees held in theUnited States, as well as security and political cooperation between the twocountries.
: Al-Zaidi named Iraq's prime minister: Easy nomination, harder road ahead