Iraqi parliament approves new Cabinet in long-awaited vote

October 29, 2022 00:00:00

Iraqi Parliament Information Office shows ministers of the new Iraqi government being sworn in during the parliamentary session to vote on the new government in Baghdad, Iraq on Thursday — AP

BAGHDAD, Oct 28 (AP): Iraq's parliament gave its vote of confidence to a new Cabinet on Thursday, breaking a yearlong political stalemate. It's the first government since 2005 that doesn't include members from the bloc of a powerful Shiite cleric.

A majority of the 253 lawmakers present voted to appoint 21 ministers, with two posts - the Construction and Housing Ministry and the Environment Ministry - remaining undecided. Despite those two unresolved appointments, the approved Cabinet lineup constitutes a quorum.

The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is the first since 2005 that does not include seats for the bloc of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.