Iraq Has a Unity Government

Iraq’s parliament today gave Haider al-Abadi its vote of confidence, officially making him the new prime minister of Iraq. The parliamentarians also approved Abadi’s cabinet. Two key ministries, Defense and Interior, however, were left vacant for now.

Former premiers Ayad Allawi and Nuri al-Maliki were named co-vice presidents. Another former premier, Ibrahim al-Jafaari, was named foreign minister.

Two other important ministries, finance and oil, went respectively to Rozh Nouri Shawayees, former prime minister of Kurdistan, and Adil Abd al-Mahdi, an ISCI leader.

Prime Minister Abadi will temporarily hold the defense and interior portfolios until new ministers are named. Early in the voting process, the Badr Organization deputies staged a walk out to protest Abadi’s decision not to appoint their chairman, Hadi al-Amiri, the closest Iranian ally, as the interior minister. However as it became clear that the post could go to a person acceptable to Badr, its deputies returned to parliament and participated in the vote of confidence for the new premier and his cabinet.

File photo: New Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (Reuters/BBC)