Iraq cabinet posts distributed unfairly, Al-Sudani’s bloc says
Shafaq News- Baghdad
The Reconstruction and Development parliamentary bloc, led by former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, on Sunday said Iraq’s new cabinet was formed through an unfair distribution of ministerial posts, despite the coalition winning the largest share of seats in the November 2025 elections with 46 lawmakers.
According to the bloc, “some factions” –without specifying– received positions exceeding their parliamentary and political weight, while Reconstruction and Development did not secure representation matching its electoral standing. Despite its objections, the coalition did not obstruct the government’s formation out of “national responsibility” and concern for state stability.
The bloc added that it had pushed during coalition negotiations for ministries to be managed by “competent and independent” figures rather than through quota-sharing arrangements that had weakened previous governments and state institutions.
Although the bloc revealed divisions during Thursday’s parliamentary confidence vote, with several lawmakers opposing specific ministries based on “political and parliamentary convictions,” it reaffirmed its commitment to the Shiite Coordination Framework, which holds around 162 seats in Iraq’s 329-member parliament and nominated Ali Al-Zaidi for prime minister.
Earlier, the National Contract bloc led by Popular Mobilization Forces chief Faleh Al-Fayyadh and the Sumariyoun Movement headed by former Labor Minister Ahmed Al-Asadi announced their withdrawal from the Reconstruction and Development coalition, accusing the alliance of marginalization and exclusion. However, the bloc said the National Contract alliance received representation through the Agriculture Ministry based on its 11 parliamentary seats, while the five-seat Sumariyoun movement remained represented within Reconstruction and Development’s broader parliamentary coalition.
Parliament approved 14 ministers in Al-Zaidi’s cabinet on Thursday, while votes on nine key portfolios were postponed until after the Islamic holiday Eid Al-Adha following political disputes and US warnings against including armed factions in the new government.
Read more: Ali Al-Zaidi sworn in as Iraq's prime minister with a program already failed
