BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi presented his list outlining the proposed new cabinet on Thursday as part of his promise to reform the government. Sixteen ministries will be changed, essentially meaning the entire structure of government is being changed. Abadi read out his proposed list of new ministers in front of the parliament. After ten days they will vote to either approve, reject or amend his proposed cabinet. In a speech he gave he said he is fully committed to the Iraqi constitution and that in his reform process all the political parties have been included in the government cabinet. Thursday had been set as the deadline for concrete reforms given by the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his supporters in parliament. Sadr had staged a sit-in in the Green Zone near government buildings to pressure Abadi to fulfill his promises to reform Abadi thanked Sadr for his persistence in speeding up reforms and doing away with government quotas which selected ministers based on their sectarian or ethnic backgrounds as opposed to their merits. Which many believe is behind the rampant corruption in Iraq's governance. "I would like to thank Sadr, because he preserved social cohesion in the country," said Abadi. The Iraqi Prime Minister said he prepared the list himself and said no changes will be made in the defense nor interior ministries since he believes reshuffling them now during a time of war could be problematic. His proposed ministers and the portfolios they should have are listed below: Ali Alawi - Minister of Finance. Nzar Salim - Minister of Oil. Sharif Ali bn Ali - Minister of Foreign Affairs. Ali Jabouri - Minister of Education. Ali Mubarak - Minister of Health. Hassan Janabi - Minister of Oil and Water Resources. Aqil Yousif - Minister of Youth and Culture. Hoshiyar Amin - Minister of Municipality and Reconstruction. Yousif Assadi - Minister of Transportation. Mohammed Nasrollah - Minister of Justice. Ala Dashir - Minister of Electricity. Wafa Mahdawi - Minister of Immigration and Displacement. Two days ago, Abadi pledged he would announce a cabinet reshuffle on Thursday as Sadr was pressuring him to implement a wider reform package that would include replacing several ministers with apolitical technocrats, in a bid to eliminate patronage and corruption. Sadr had warned Abadi to "stop giving futile promises" and start with grassroots government reforms if he wants to avoid impeachment.
