Iraqi National Assembly approves partial cabinet
The interim National Assembly approved by show of hands today a partial Cabinet, including 27 ministers and five acting ministers, ushering in Iraq’s first elected government since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
The Cabinet was approved by 180 MPs out of the 185 present in the 275-member parliament, Speaker Hajim al-Hassani announced to applause.
Prime Minister-designate Ibrahim al-Jaafari submitted a broad-based Cabinet, including members of Iraq’s main Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions. But disputes remained over two deputy prime ministers’ slots and the defence, oil, electricity, industry and human rights ministries.
Al-Jaafari himself will be acting defence minister, a position that was supposed to go to a Sunni Arab.
Ahmad Chalabi, a former Pentagon favourite from al-Jaafari’s Shiite-dominated alliance, will be one of four deputy prime ministers and acting oil minister.
Kurdish official and former vice-president Rowsch Nouri Shaways will be another deputy and acting electricity minister.
Al-Jaafari has struggled to reconcile the competing demands of Iraq’s myriad factions since January 30 elections.
Shiite leaders rejected his initial choices for a Sunni deputy prime minister and defence minister because of suspicions they had ties to Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party, which brutally repressed Iraqi’s majority Shiites and Kurds.
Al-Jaafari also faced infighting within his United Iraqi Alliance over the oil and electricity portfolios.
MPs earlier said the Cabinet would include 17 Shiite Arab ministers, eight Kurds, six Sunnis and a Christian. Among them are six women, according to today’s announcement.