Iraq approves new government

09 September 2014

Sunni and Kurdish politicians appointed as deputy prime ministers

The Iraqi parliament has approved a new government includes deputy prime ministers from the Sunni and Kurdish minorities as it seeks to deal with the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis) influence in the north of the country.

The government was formed by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, who was given one month to form a cabinet after he was chosen to replace Nouri al-Maliki on 12 August.

Respective Sunni and Kurdish politicians, Saleh al-Mutlak and Hoshyar Zebari, have been appointed as deputy prime ministers, while Adel Abdul Mahdi was appointed oil minister. Former prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari was given the post of foreign minister.

By appointing non-Shia figures to senior government positions, Al-Abadi is signalling a shift away from the Shia-dominated governance of his predecessor.

Al-Maliki’s was criticised for marginalising Sunnis from power, creating the sectarian divide that allowed Isis to gain support in the Sunni majority areas of the west and north of the country.

US President Barack Obama hailed the formation of a new government as a “major milestone” for Iraq.

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