Kurdistan Region backs Al-Zaidi cabinet, demands rights be guaranteed

Shafaq News- Erbil

The Kurdistan Region will support the incoming federal government on the condition that its constitutional rights are protected, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said Thursday, as Iraq's parliament prepares to vote on Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi's cabinet later in the day.

Speaking at the inauguration of a major bridge in the Soran district, north of Erbil, Barzani said Kurdish participation in the political process would be "effective" and directed at securing the rights of Kurdistan's population and Iraqis broadly. He expressed hope that the coming period would strengthen cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad, where relations have long been strained over budget transfers, oil revenues, and territorial disputes.

Sources close to Al-Zaidi told Shafaq News that some ministerial portfolios remain unsettled ahead of the vote, with the prime minister-designate still reviewing candidate lists submitted by political blocs.

Read more: Ali al-Zaidi named Iraq's prime minister: Easy nomination, harder road ahead