PM-designate, parliament speaker discuss government formation
Prime Minister-designate Adil Abdul-Mahdi and parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Prime Minister-designate Adil Abdul-Mahdi received on Monday at his office in Baghdad Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi.
According to a statement by Abdul-Mahdi’s media office, the meeting tackled the latest political developments in Iraq as well as the formation of the new government.
The two sides stressed the importance of cooperation between Iraq’s government, parliament and presidency in the coming period so that the situation in Iraq can improve at all levels.
They further called for promoting cooperation between the executive and legislative powers to pass laws that could serve citizens and help attract investments into the country.
Iraq’s newly-elected president Barham Salih named on Tuesday Abdul-Mahdi as prime minister-designate and tasked him with forming a new government.
The announcement was aired on the official Iraqi TV a few hours after Salih was named as Iraq’s president.
Under the Iraqi constitution, Abdul-Mahdi would have 30 days to form a cabinet and present it to parliament for approval.
Iraqi politicians have been in a deadlock over the formation of a new government since an election in May.
Under the complex political order created after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime, government posts are usually shared out among Iraq’s ethnic and religious groups.
The Shiites, who are the largest group, take the post of prime minister, the Sunnis take the speaker, and the Kurds the presidency.