Political infighting and last-minute horse-trading delayed the formal announcement of a new Iraqi government today, lawmakers said, as Iraq sought to end a 9-month vacuum created by an inconclusive election.
Prime minister Nuri al-Maliki had been expected to introduce his cabinet choices before parliament today, but lawmakers and a spokesman for the speaker said the day's agenda did not include the announcement.
A spokesman for Mr Maliki said he would proceed anyway, announcing a partial list.
The final deadline to approve the cabinet is at the end of the week, and the eleventh-hour squabbling and power-plays highlight the ethnic and sectarian divisions that pervade the country, 7 1/2 years after the US-led invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.
"Maliki delayed the announcement to give all blocs an opportunity to review their nominations and to put the final touches on an agreement and achieve greater consensus," said Abdel-Hadi al-Hassan, a politician from Maliki's Dawa Party.
Mr Maliki's cabinet is expected to retain oil minister Hussain al-Shahristani, the Shia architect of ambitious plans to turn Iraq into a top global oil producer, as well as foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari, a Kurd.
Mr Shahristani is seen as a vital member of the new cabinet and his reappointment is important to assure investors Iraq will honour deals to develop its vast reserves.
Ahmed al-Oraibi, a lawmaker for the Sunni-backed Iraqiya political coalition, said political leaders were expected to sort out lingering disputes over the division of posts later today, but other officials said resolving the problem could take longer.
Mr Maliki's spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the premier would announce "half the new government" later in the day.
Reuters