Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq’s next government is likely to be presented incomplete, aspolitical forces intensify negotiations to appoint multiple deputies for PrimeMinister-designate Ali al-Zaidi in a bid to maintain factional “balance,”political sources revealed to Shafaq News on Monday.
A source within the Coordination Framework (CF) —a coalition ofmainly Shiite political parties that forms the largest bloc in parliament— saidtalks between party leaders and the bloc’s technical and political committeeshave escalated to select three to four deputy prime ministers, with somepositions intended as “consolatory” arrangements to satisfy competing factions.
Key contenders include Mohsen al-Mandalawi, backed by the State ofLaw Coalition led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Sunni leaderMuthanna al-Samarrai of the Al-Azm Alliance, and caretaker Foreign MinisterFuad Hussein from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), noting that a fourthcandidate remains under discussion.
Meanwhile, a source from the National Political Council, a Sunniumbrella bloc formed after the 2025 parliamentary elections, confirmed thatmost blocs have submitted nominees for ministerial and independent posts, withal-Zaidi’s team, alongside the Framework’s technical committee, reviewing andassessing candidates.
Despite this progress, political disagreements persist —both withinindividual blocs and between rival factions— particularly over key sovereignand service ministries, raising the likelihood that al-Zaidi will submit acabinet exceeding half of the lineup but short of a full formation.
Parliament is expected to hold a confidence vote next week, withal-Zaidi set to present his cabinet and government program by the end of thisweek.
The Coordination Framework granted al-Zaidi broader authority toshape his cabinet following his nomination on April 27, while negotiationscontinue under a points-based system that allocates ministries according toparliamentary weight. Service ministries typically require at least 10 seats,while sovereign portfolios require more than 15.
Cabinet formation in Iraq is traditionally governed by the muhasasasystem, a post-2003 power-sharing arrangement that distributes positions amongthe country’s main political and ethnic blocs.
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