IRAQ: Designate PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi struggling to form cabinet. Eva Faeq Yaqoob nominated for Ministry of Immigration
BAGHDAD / BASRA, Iraq — Iraqi media recently published leaked names up for ministerial posts in the cabinet of designate Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. One of the leaked names is for the nominate Minister of Immigration from the Christian component Mrs. Eva Faeq Yaqoob. Mrs. Yaqoob was born in Mosul in 1981, studied in Basra and holds a degree in Microbiology. Mrs. Yaqoob has worked in civil society and has representation in a number of humanitarian committees and organizations.
The head of the Iraqi intelligence services Mustafa al-Kadhimi was tasked on the 9th of April with forming a cabinet within 30 days. Mr. al-Kadhimi faces a tough task after several previous attempts to form a cabinet have failed over the distribution of ministries over the different parliamentarian blocks and Shia, Sunni and Kurdish denominations. Different blocks claim many and the same important ministerial posts.
The leaked names are to be submitted to Iraqi parliament after which parliament would discuss the nominees up for approval. But the designate Prime Minister already faced several blockages and rejections. According to sources to the Middle East Monitor Shia parties, who got 12 ministerial seats from al-Kadhimi, last week rejected several ministerial nominations; “the leaders of the Shia parties met on Saturday night at the home of former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, and then told the PM-designate that they rejected a lot of his nominees. The MP said that they would nominate new candidates for each ministry from which al-Kadhimi can choose”, according to one anonymous Iraqi MP to the Middle East Monitor.