Iraq approves 11 ministers and appoints Khazali deputy prime minister
Iraq’s parliament approved 11 ministers and three deputy prime ministers on 15 October, filling posts left vacant when Ali al-Zaidi’s government took office in May. The appointments included Laith al-Khazali, a senior figure in the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq group who is under US sanctions. Voting on another deputy and the migration portfolio was postponed.
Geopolitics··Morning
Parliament fills posts left open since May
Iraq’s parliament approved 11 ministers and three deputy prime ministers on 15 October, filling posts left vacant after Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government took office in May. Laith al-Khazali was among the three deputies appointed. The session brought ministerial appointments and senior government posts to a vote after five months of vacancies.[1], [2]
Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi chaired the session with 261 lawmakers present. Nayef al-Shammari became defence minister and Yasser al-Maliki interior minister. The other approved deputy prime ministers were Mohsen Ali Akbar al-Mandalawi and Mohammed Ali Tamim. Parliament had approved 14 of 23 ministers on 14 May, leaving nine posts open, principally interior and defence.[1]
Khazali’s appointment includes a US-sanctioned figure
Khazali is a senior member of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, an Iran-backed Iraqi armed and political group led by his brother Qais. The United States designated the group a foreign terrorist organisation in 2020; both brothers are subject to US terrorism sanctions. The group’s political wing, Sadiqoun, alleged that Zaidi had tried to ease Washington’s objections to Khazali during his September visit to New York. That account came from the political wing.[1]
Sadiqoun’s Hussein al-Shihani said the deputies would oversee projects without extra salaries or privileges, and that Khazali would handle public services rather than security. Politician Izzat al-Shabandar questioned whether their constitutional authority had been clarified.[1]
New ministries approved while two votes are deferred
The appointments included Qutaiba Ghazi for planning, Haider Bahaa al-Husseini for higher education and scientific research, Yassin al-Eithawi for culture, Rebaz Hamlan for construction and housing, Mohammed al-Mousawi for labour and social affairs, and Safaa al-Kinani for youth and sports. Three new posts went to Mohammed Sahib al-Darraji for digital economy and governance, Ali al-Dakhili for tourism and antiquities, and Mohammed Samaan for minority affairs. Tourism was separated from culture. A vote on a fourth deputy, Kurdistan Democratic Party nominee Faris al-Barifkani, was postponed after the party’s lawmakers withdrew. The migration and displacement ministry vote was also deferred.[1]
