Sadr’s coalition says new cabinet lineup should be unveiled by Thursday

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – A coalition led by Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr urged on Tuesday Prime Minister-designate Adil Abdul-Mahdi to announce the new cabinet line-up within a maximum of two days in order not to drag the country into a constitutional dilemma.

MP Abbas Eliwa, from Sadr’s Saairun Alliance, told the privately-owned Almaalomah website that the new cabinet and its platform should be unveiled by Thursday as a maximum before the expiry of the 30-day constitutional period given to form the new government, which is expected to end on November 2.

Eliwa noted that any government formation delay would cause the country “unwanted crises,” adding that the portfolios of defense, interior and finance have not been decided on yet.

Veteran Shiite politician Adil Abdul-Mahdi was assigned by Iraqi President Barham Salih to form a new government on October 2.

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 an informal power-sharing agreement in place since the 2003 ouster of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, the position of Iraqi president goes to a Kurd.

The parliament speaker should be a Sunni Muslim, and the prime minister should be a Shi’a.