Iraqi parliament votes on proposed cabinet reshuffle

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Iraqi parliament held a session on Tuesday in the second hall to vote on the Prime Minister’s cabinet, after the MPs held a sit-in at the primary parliament hall, preventing Abadi from presenting his cabinet.

Parliament Speaker,Salim al-Jibouri led the session although he was voted out by the MPs holding the sit-in on April 16. 

The parliament session was attended by 189 MPs who voted on four nominees for ministerial positions in Abadi’s cabinet, where the Prime Minister briefed the MPs about his cabinet.

This list of the nominees for ministerial positions is part of the reforms we have been asked to make, Abadi said. “The list I am presenting is the first draft, and will change in the future. It previously included 13 names but 3 withdrew their nomination.”

“Allow me to present only a group of the nominees before you today for voting, and maybe the Council of Representatives can continue voting next week. I will come up with a new group of nominees by then,” Abadi added. 

Meanwhile, during the parliament session, supporters of the Shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr were protesting at the gates of Green Zone, the Baghdad’s most fortified area on the demand of Sadr as a large number of security forces including tanks were deployed inside the Green Zone and at its gates. 

On Sunday, Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on people to hold a demonstration on Tuesday at gates of Green Zone to press Abadi to form a technocrat government.

Abadi revealed the nominees of the new technocrat government of Iraq, but the parliament members of Iraq refused to accept them, and tensions have flared since.

Reporting by Baxtiyar Goran
Editing by Ava Homa