IRAQ LIFTS BAN ON SUNNI POLITICIANS

Iraq’s Parliament on Saturday 18 took a major step toward creating a unity government, lifting a ban on three Sunni politicians who were barred from running in national elections last March

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August 17, 2022

Iraq’s Parliament on Saturday 18 took a major step toward creating a unity government, lifting a ban on three Sunni politicians who were barred from running in national elections last March after being accused of having ties to Saddam Hussein’s ousted regime. The vote brings Iraq closer to ending months of political turmoil following the March 7 election, which failed to produce a clear winner. It also paves the way for broader Sunni participation in the emerging government, headed by Shiite incumbent Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki. At the start of the session, Al-Maliki told lawmakers he would announce his new Cabinet on Monday – five days before a constitutional deadline. Parliament must then approve the candidates for 36 ministries, three deputy prime ministers and at least two vice presidents before the government can get to work. Parliament voted 109-61 to allow former lawmaker Saleh Al-Mutlaq and two other Sunnis to return to political jobs.