ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid on Sunday appointed 86 new ambassadors in the first batch of diplomatic postings, with a second group still under review, the presidency said, with the list slammed by lawmakers for nepotism.
In a presidential decree, Rashid appointed “the first batch of ambassadors, numbering (86) ambassadors, to complete their appointment procedures,” the Iraqi Presidency said in a statement.
“The procedures for appointing the second batch are being reviewed with the competent oversight authorities, and a decree will be issued later appointing them once the appointment procedures are completed,” it added.
For the first time in 16 years, the Iraqi parliament in late-August approved the long-delayed appointment of over 93 new ambassadors in a vote, including 19 Kurds.
Of the 19 Kurds, ten are from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), eight from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and one from the influential Sunni Taqadum Party. The full list also includes 49 Shiites - among them one Shiite Turkmen and a Faili Kurd - 23 Sunnis, two Christians, one Yazidi, and one Sabianist-Mandaeist - an ethno-religious group in Iraq.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani late last month welcomed the move to appoint the new ambassadors, calling on the fresh diplomats to execute their responsibilities with the “highest professionalism.”
Many of the newly-appointed ambassadors have already been criticized by lawmakers for being close associates of Iraq’s political elite.
In late June, Iraq’s Council of Ministers approved the ambassadorial list, a move that quickly drew criticism from parliament’s foreign relations committee and other lawmakers, who said it reflected political power-sharing and nepotism. They accused political parties of securing positions for relatives of top leaders, warning this undermines Iraq’s diplomatic reputation.
Iraq maintains over 70 embassies and 16 consulates across the world.
