Iraqi Parliament Approves Government Program and 14-Minister Cabinet Before Postponing Remaining Votes
At the beginning of the session, 166 members of parliament were present. The number later rose to 270 MPs as the proceedings continued.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – On Thursday, the Iraqi Parliament convened at 5:45 p.m. to vote on the formation of the new government cabinet, in a session attended by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani alongside several senior Iraqi political leaders.
At the beginning of the session, 166 members of parliament were present. The number later rose to 270 MPs as the proceedings continued.
During the meeting, the Speaker of Parliament invited Prime Minister-designate Ali Falih al-Zaidi to present his government program. Following his presentation, lawmakers voted to approve the cabinet program by a majority.
The parliament then proceeded with voting on ministerial candidates, ultimately granting confidence to 14 ministers in al-Zaidi’s proposed cabinet. The approved portfolios included Water Resources, Trade, Justice, Education, Transport, Foreign Affairs, Oil, Industry, Electricity, Health, Environment, Agriculture, Finance, and Communications.
However, after the completion of the vote on the government program and most cabinet posts, disagreements emerged over several remaining ministerial positions. As a result, the Speaker of Parliament decided to postpone the session to a later time, pending further negotiations.