PM Al-Zaidi Adds Tourism, AI, And State Ministries
At a Glance
- Iraqi Prime Minister al-Zaidi will expand his cabinet by adding three new ministries.
- One of the newly created ministries will be dedicated specifically to Artificial Intelligence.
- Political blocs are finalizing nominees to fill vacant portfolios following the initial May 2026 confidence vote.
Ahmed al-Saadi, an Iraqi Member of Parliament from the National Wisdom Movement, revealed that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will expand his cabinet by adding three new ministries: Tourism, Artificial Intelligence, and State. This expansion comes as political blocs finalize nominees to fill the remaining vacant portfolios following the initial May 2026 confidence vote.
Key Statements and Focus Area
- Lawmaker Ahmed al-Saadi revealed that one of the ministries will be dedicated to Artificial Intelligence.
- Al-Saadi said ministerial portfolios have been allocated to specific political factions, with the Montasirun Bloc (affiliated with Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada) receiving the Ministry of Tourism, the Khidamat Bloc securing the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence under Mohammed Sahib al-Daraji, and the Turkmen Front taking a Ministry of State.
In an interview with Dijlah TV, Member of Parliament al-Saadi detailed the upcoming cabinet allocations, confirming that Safaa al-Kinani will assume leadership of the Ministry of Youth and Sports under the Hikma Movement's share.
Additionally, the Ministry of Labor has been allocated to Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, with Mohammed al-Mousawi named as minister.
The security portfolios have also been clarified, as the Ministry of Interior has been finalized for Yasser Sakhil al-Maliki under the State of Law Coalition, while Ali al-Araj is set to become the Minister of Defense.
Under the remaining allocations, Haider Bahaa will take over the Ministry of Higher Education for the State of Law Coalition, and Banas Doski will lead the Ministry of Construction and Housing for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Meanwhile, nominees for the Ministries of Planning and Culture, both belonging to the Azm Alliance, remain undecided.
FYI
On May 15, the Iraqi Parliament granted confidence to only 14 out of the 23 ministries within Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi's initial cabinet lineup.
The remaining nine portfolios were left vacant and placed under temporary management due to a complete gridlock among competing political factions over the nominees.
The current negotiations aim to break this five-month legislative standstill.
The Coordination Framework officially reaffirmed its backing to complete the cabinet during previous high-level leadership meetings.
This unified stance was solidified on October 5, when the coalition met directly with al-Zaidi to finalize the upcoming single-package voting schedule.
In the meantime, al-Zaidi pressed the leaders to resolve unfinished legislative business, prioritizing the finalization of the cabinet expansion.
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