Iraq’s premier appoints acting interior minister amid coalition jockeying

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali al-Zaidi has appointed Interior Ministry Undersecretary Hussein al-Awadi to temporarily run the ministry until a new interior minister is selected, a source familiar with the matter told Shafaq News on Saturday.

The move is intended to “ensure continuity” inside the ministry while political factions continue negotiations over the remaining cabinet portfolios, according to the source.

Al-Awadi has served as the Interior Ministry’s senior administrative and financial undersecretary since September 2020, when he was appointed during former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s government. His appointment at the time drew objections from Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition, which viewed the post as part of its traditional administrative share.

Before joining the ministry, al-Awadi served as a member of Iraq’s parliament and chaired the parliamentary Energy and Fuel Committee during the 2014–2018 legislative term.

The temporary appointment comes as Coordination Framework (CF) factions intensify efforts to finalize the incomplete cabinet and renegotiate ministerial influence following disputes surrounding last week’s confidence vote. A senior political source told Shafaq News earlier today that the State of Law Coalition -part of the Framework- had begun reviewing the profiles of several senior security and military figures to select a second candidate for the Interior Ministry alongside Qasim Atta.

Political forces within CF are also seeking to reshape the balance of cabinet positions amid moves to announce a new alliance, tentatively named the “Alliance of Strongmen,” under former PM al-Maliki’s leadership, following disagreements over the government lineup and distribution of posts.

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