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BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi lawmakers were due to vote Wednesday on cabinet and program plans by appointed prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, more than five months after the country's vote in the parliamentary elections.
PHOTO FILE: Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi arrive in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 24, 2018. REUTERS / Khalid al Mousily
Abdul Mahdi opened the evening session by presenting his program, which was later confirmed by lawmakers.
But lawmakers from several factions, including the Saeroon, the winning electoral group of Moqtada al-Sadr, started leaving while Abdul Mahdi was still speaking, which created uncertainty as to the holding of the vote on Wednesday.
The chaos ensued after Saharan MP Sabah al-Saidi asked parliament speaker Mohammad al-Halbousi to delay the vote, giving MPs more time to study candidates' CVs.
Halbousi and Saidi clashed and clashed with ministers from Saeroon, Alliance Nasr and several Sunni blocks.
At around 10:30 pm, lawmakers were given a 30-minute break to deliberate, according to the parliamentary media, and had to come back to confirm the candidates. But several lawmakers told Reuters that they thought this could be a delaying tactic and that members of parliament might not come back to the room.
The turbulent parliamentary session highlighted the difficulties faced by Abdul Mahdi as he sought consensus on his cabinet.
Earlier in the day, a Sunni Arab parliamentary bloc withdrew from talks on forming the next Iraqi government.
The prime minister-designate should appoint new officials to the main ministries, including those of oil, defense, finance and the interior.
Thamer Ghadhban, a former senior energy official in Iraq, is expected to be named oil minister, according to two political sources.
Report by Ahmed Rasheed; written by Raya Jalabi, Reuters Video News in Baghdad; Edited by Alison Williams and David Stamp
