Iraq MPs confirm new govt as key posts left empty

Iraq’s parliament voted to confirm Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi’s new government on Thursday while leaving key Cabinet posts unfilled. The legislature voted in an unruly session to confirm 14 of Abdul-Mahdi’s 22 Cabinet nominees, enough to ratify a government, AP reports. However, lawmakers failed to vote on key appointments, including ministers of defense and justice & interior, underscoring the discord plaguing Iraqi politics. Lawmakers from the largest bloc, Islah, complained that they were not given enough time to review the nominees, named only hours before the vote. Lawmakers were handed one page resumes to review for each. Only 220 lawmakers attended the session, leaving more than 100 seats empty in the 329-seat body. Abdul-Mahdi, a former oil and finance minister, was designated prime minister on October 3, promising to install a government of “technocrats” to reform the ailing public sector.