Kadhimi names remaining cabinet nominees to Iraqi parliament

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi parliament has received the names of the seven remaining ministerial nominees for the vacant positions in Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi’s cabinet, the Office of Speaker of the Parliament announced on Thursday via Twitter.

Kurdish parties were granted their top pick Fuad Hussein, Iraq’s former finance minister, for the coveted foreign minister position, said Hamadamin Faris, Kurdish MP in Iraqi parliament.

“The KDP candidate for the foreign minister seat is Fuad Hussein,” Faris told Rudaw English. “While, the PUK’s candidate for the justice minister is Judge Salar,” referring to Salar Abdul Satar, a former judge in Kirkuk and Baghdad.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is the second largest political party in the Kurdistan Region and has 18 seats in Iraqi parliament.
A parliamentary session to approve or reject the nominated ministerial candidates is scheduled to be held on Saturday, June 6.

The legislative body approved most of Kadhimi’s cabinet picks on May 7, but rejected five proposed candidates, leaving the top of trade, agriculture, justice, culture, and migration and displacement empty. The voting on leadership positions at the ministries of foreign affairs and oil were postponed.

Candidates for the ministries of trade, culture, agriculture, justice, and migration and displacement were agreed upon by political parties before Eid al-Fitr, but disagreements remained with regard to the foreign and oil ministry seats, Fahad al-Jubouri, a member of the Shiite movement al-Hikma's political bureau confirmed to Rudaw last month.

One day after Kadhimi was sworn in as Iraqi PM, he appointed himself and six ministers from his cabinet to temporarily fill the vacant ministerial posts in an official decree published by Iraqi state media on May 12.

According to the decree, Kadhimi ordered Education Minister Ali Hamid to act as interim trade minister, Higher Education and Technology Minister Nabil Kadhim to act as interim justice minister, and Transport Minister Nasir Hussein to act as interim migration and displacement minister.

The PM has also ordered Finance Minister Ali Allawi and Minister of Sports and Youth Adnan Darjal to take charge of the oil and culture ministries respectively.

Kadhimi meanwhile is currently acting as interim foreign minister until political parties reach an agreement on a suitable candidate.

Kadhimi names remaining cabinet nominees to Iraqi parliament

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