ISIC expected to get 5 cabinet posts, Legislature says

MISSAN / IraqiNews.com: Iraq’s Supreme Islamic Council, led by cleric Ammar al-Hakim, is expected to get 5 cabinet posts in the new government, among them the recently established Investment Ministry, its Legislature, Abdul-Kerim Jahoush al-Mohammadwi said on Thursday. “The Suprem Islamic Council has applied to get five posts in the forthcoming government,” Mohammadawi told IraqiNews.com news agency, adding that the ministries chosen according to the Council’s electoral right were “the Housing & Reconstruction, Education, Municipalities & Public Works, the State Ministry for Swamps Affairs and the Investment Ministry.” The Legislature said that the mechanism of counting the points was not settled yet, due to what he described as “differences among political blocs about it.” Noteworthy is that the Supreme Islamic Council occupies 20 seats in the 325-seat Iraqi Parliament, whilst a mechanism exists to grant each 2.24 seats one of the said “points,” and the three State presidencies equal 10 points, their deputies – 5 points and each leading cabinet ministry equals 3 points, the leading service ministry – 1 point, the 2nd service ministry – 1.5 points and each state ministry – 1 point. SKH/SR 27