Former parliament speaker and head of National Coalition Salim al-Jabouri has been nominated by Iraq’s Sunnis for the post of defense minister. Shiites, meanwhile, are yet to agree on their candidate for the interior minister post as disputes grow between Fatah alliance led by Hadi al-Ameri, and Sairoon, led by Moqtada al-Sadr.
National Coalition MP Intisar al-Jabouri announced the political consensus on Salim al-Jabouri and confirmed that all political parties agreed to this nomination, which will be presented during a government session.
MP Mohammed al-Karbouli, member of National Axis bloc, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the issue of the Defense Ministry has been resolved and Salim al-Jabouri is among the group of candidates, noting that candidates for other portfolios are still being debated between the political blocs.
Last month, parliament approved 14 ministers out of 22 in the government of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.
But the political differences that erupted over the remaining eight posts, particularly among Kurdish parties, prevented politicians from reaching consensus.
A source familiar with the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat that Kurds agreed on granting the justice portfolio to the Christian, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which nominated former MP Khaled Shawani.
On the candidate for interior minister, Faleh al-Fayyad, and Sairoon’s insistence on replacing him, the source said the opposition to him was not personal, but rather stems from the firm position not to approve the nomination of partisan figures.
