Iraq: Maliki Cabinet Confirmed

The Iraqi parliament confirmed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki‘s cabinet today, ending the country’s political deadlock. Reuters Africa  has a list of the “top officials” in the government and the AFP has compiled a timeline documenting the nine month impasse. Juan Cole provides details of the circumstances that caused parliamentarians to delay the vote yesterday. According to Cole, the Sadrist Movement is concerned that the temporary candidates Maliki put forward as place holders yesterday would mean that “the ministers of the security ministries would in the end be the opposite of those already agreed upon,” while members of Iraqiyya were unable to agree on a candidate to put forward for Minister of Defense.

Update: Reidar Visser remains skeptical of the new government, calling it “XXL-sized and unwieldy.” However, he does credit P.M. Maliki for handling the situation “quite masterfully,” by “creat(ing) an end game where many from the other parties were forced to abandon their principles.”