Iraqi MPs demand vote by secret ballot for each cabinet candidate of new government
A group of nearly 120 Iraqi lawmakers recently formed a “lobby” in what is believed to be a pressure campaign to force Prime Minister-Designate Adil Abdul-Mahdi to include their associates in the next cabinet expected to be voted on Wednesday.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Nearly 120 Iraqi lawmakers recently formed a “lobby” in what is believed to be a pressure campaign to force Prime Minister-Designate Adil Abdul-Mahdi to include their candidates in the next cabinet expected to be voted on Wednesday.
Lawmaker Ahmad al-Jubouri sent a letter to Parliamentary Speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi, in which he said that more than 120 MPs – out of 329 – are demanding a vote by secret ballot on ministerial candidates, one by one, as was done for the posts of the presidency, speakership, and his deputies.
Reports quoting officials familiar with the names in Abdul-Mahdi’s current proposed cabinet claim it is composed of independents nominated by the ruling parliamentary bloc, highlighting that none of them are current or former MPs.
Jubouri’s letter, obtained by Kurdistan 24, asserts the move aims to “prevent the acceptance of any candidate [chosen] in a corrupt deal with any bloc.”
On Wednesday, Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the election-winning coalition, Sairoon, repeated his calls for a cabinet free from allegiances to specific parliamentary blocs.
“The people want to reform the system through a paternal government that is honest [made up of independent technocrats] supervised by the Prime Minister-Designate and without pressure from the parties and blocs,” in parliament, Sadr wrote on his Twitter account.
Hisham al-Hashimi, a political analyst, on his Facebook account said that what the lawmakers are demanding is “their legal right.”
He added that President Barham Salih must intervene to resolve the dispute between the “angry MPs” and Abdul-Mahdi.
On Monday, a source told Kurdistan 24 that Abdul-Mahdi had submitted his cabinet to Parliament for consideration.
The CVs of all candidates “should be sent to Parliament” and be given enough time to review and study them, Jubouri continued in the letter.
According to the constitution, the Iraqi Parliament must vote on the government of Abdul-Mahdi before November 2.
Iraqi officials say the Reform and Reconstruction Coalition, which is comprised of the two largest parliamentary blocs, dominate the list, holding most of the ministerial posts in the new government led by Abdul-Mahdi.
Editing by Nadia Riva