Shafaq News / Huda al-Jabouri, an Iraqi lawmaker part of the newly-formed Al-Modon Al-Moharrara (Liberated Cities) alliance, claimed on Sunday that her faction had secured between two to three ministries within the cabinet of Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Al-Kathemi.

The Al-Modon Al-Moharrara is a new Sunni faction within the Iraqi legislature, spearheaded by business mogul and veteran politician Khamis Al-Khanjar. According to statements from members of the alliance, it is made up of 25 lawmakers.

Speaking to Shafaq News on Sunday, Jabouri, who is the deputy chief of Al-Modon Al-Moharrara said her alliance would hold negotiations with Kathemi to implement their agenda of “keeping arms in the hands of the state, stabilizing liberated cities, and [facilitating] the return of displaced persons to their homes.”

“The alliance has its representatives in parliament and will have a ministerial representation” in Kathemi’s government, Jabouri stated. She pointed out that “the entitlement of the Liberated Cities Alliance in the next government will be confined between two to three ministries.”

Jabouri noted that Al-Modon Al-Moharrara would present the premier hopeful with a list of their candidates for the ministries they would be allotted. Kathemi would in turn “choose the most appropriate” nominee for each role, she claimed.

On Sunday, the Al-Qwa Al-Iraqiya (Iraqi Forces) alliance led by Speaker of Parliament Mohammed Al-Halbousi played down Khanjar’s new faction, claiming that the new player in the Iraqi legislature “does not affect his political weight.”

With 40 seats out of 329 in the Iraqi parliament, Halbousi’s Al-Qwa Al-Iraqiya was the largest Sunni bloc in the legislature before Khanjar recently splintered off to create his own coalition.

Khanjar is a wealthy businessman, and the US Treasury imposed sanctions on his activities last year, accusing him of corrupt practices and committing graft at the expense of the Iraqi people.
This development comes a day after a parliamentary source spoke to Shafaq News about growing differences between leading Sunni forces in the legislature over their share within the next government, leading to cracks in a tentative alliance between them.

According to Shafaq News sources, Kathemi’s cabinet is expected to be divided between different factions in the following manner: 11 ministries would go to Shiite groups, 6 for the Sunni factions, 4 for Kurds, and one ministry for minorities (Christians or Turkmen).

On April 9, Iraqi President Barham Salih tasked Kadhimi with forming a new government, after two other candidates did not succeed in obtaining the support of a majority of parliament to be able to take over the premiership.

He has 30 days from his nomination to face a parliamentary vote of confidence and is poised to gain multi-lateral support from most of the components within the legislature, including leading Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish parties.

The outgoing Prime Minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, resigned in late November, as top Shia authority in Iraq Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani withdrew his support following days of extreme violence that members of the security forces carried out against anti-government protesters.