Iraqi parties are holding intense negotiations with Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi over the formation of a new government to ensure that they reap their share in the cabinet, reportedly based on their representation in parliament.
Appointments are based on points, meaning the president, parliament speaker and prime minister boast around 15 points, which translates into 30 parliamentary seats. Obtaining a sovereign portfolio in government, such as the oil or foreign ministry, requires five points, translated into ten seats in parliament. Non-sovereign ministries demand four points, or around eight seats.
The PM-designate has some three weeks to form a government before the end of a constitutional deadline. He will submit a lineup to the parliament for a vote.
The lineup is expected to win a vote a confidence given the support he already enjoys with the majority of the political parties in parliament, US President Donald Trump and the majority of regional and western countries.
Parliamentary sources predicted that al-Zaidi will submit a preliminary lineup next week.
The government is expected to be formed of 22 portfolios, 12 that will go to the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework, six to Sunni blocs and four to Kurdish parties.
The government formation process will be a test to al-Zaidi given his lack of political experience. Observers have questioned whether he will be able to run a country suffering from so many security problems tied to armed factions, as well as a crumbling economy tied to the closure of the Hormuz Strait.
They have also questioned his ability to stand up to political parties and groups that have held sway in Iraq for years. He will be tested in whether he will hold his ground against figures that want to obtain influential government posts even though they are not qualified for the post as is often the case in the country.
An informed source predicted that al-Zaidi will rely on a trusted “formula”, meaning he will ask parties to submit their candidates for various positions, and he will then choose who he deems fit. He will undoubtedly come under pressure from various parties to name their favored candidates.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source told Asharq Al-Awsat that an unprecedented number of parties are clamoring for government positions, unconcerned with the cabinet’s actual ministerial program or the proposals al-Zaidi will offer to tackle Iraq’s pressing problems.
President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq Nechirvan Barzani was in Baghdad on Monday for talks with Framework leaders over political developments and government formation efforts.
He is expected to meet with al-Zaidi and other parties during his two-day visit to settle the issue of Erbil’s share in the government.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party is expected to obtain two or three portfolios in the cabinet, including the sovereign ministry, such as the foreign ministry. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan will not receive any ministry because one of its members is president of Iraq.
