Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, centre, is under fire for his failure to fill several key government roled. Reuters
Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, centre, is under fire for his failure to fill several key government roled. Reuters
Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, centre, is under fire for his failure to fill several key government roled. Reuters
Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, centre, is under fire for his failure to fill several key government roled. Reuters

Iraq’s prime minister given 10-day deadline to form cabinet


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has 10 days to finalise cabinet formation, populist cleric Muqtada Al Sadr said on Monday night, as pressure mounts on the premier to take action to end Baghdad’s political deadlock.

Mr Sadr, who leads parliament’s largest bloc, warned that his supporters would take a “new stance” against the government of Mr Abdul Mahdi if politicians fail to vote on key vacant positions.

"I call on all political blocs to charge the prime minister with completing the cabinet formation process within 10 days," Mr Al Sadr said in a letter released by his office.

"Otherwise we will have another position … and you are aware of our stance,” said the statement.

Mr Al Sadr was referring to the potential withdrawal of support for Mr Abdul Mahdi.

The Iraqi premier assumed office in October, but has failed to form the required 22-minister cabinet and to assert his influence over the two dominant political blocs in parliament – Islah and Binaa.

The Saairun party of Mr Al Sadr, which gained the majority of votes during last May’s general elections, leads the Islah bloc.

The Binaa bloc is led by Hadi Al Amiri's political alliance Fatah and includes the political wing of the Iran-linked Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella group of militias that were formed to fight ISIS.

The power struggle between the two rival groups has foiled efforts to form the Iraqi government.

Mr Al Sadr has called for independent candidates to be put forward for several key cabinet positions, including interior, defence, education and justice roles. But they remain vacant due to a dispute with the Binaa bloc.

Binaa has pushed interior candidate Falih Al Fayyadh, who is linked to Iran-backed militias. Mr Al Sadr, a nationalist who rejects the involvement of both the United States and Iran in the country’s internal affairs, was quick to oppose the nomination.

The cleric's militia, previously known as the Mahdi army (which bears no relation to Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi), staged various violent uprisings against US forces after the 2003 invasion to remove former dictator Saddam Hussein. He was described at the time as the biggest security threat in Iraq by officials in Washington in Baghdad.

Yet Mr Al Sadr made a surprise victory in the May vote by promising to fight corruption and improve services.

The 10-day deadline follows mounting criticism directed towards the premier.

A third bloc, Hikma, led by Shiite cleric Ammar Al Hakim, announced on Sunday that it intends to become the opposition after failing to win many seats or hold much influence over Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi.

The opposition's role is to make life "less pleasant" for the premier, Utica Risk Services Iraq expert Kirk Sowell told The National.

Some political actors are choosing to distance themselves from the government, which is viewed as failing, so they can position themselves better for next year's provincial elections, likely to take place next April.

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Price: Dh235,000

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Ain Dubai in numbers

126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure

1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch

16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.

9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.

5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place

192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Biog

Age: 50

Known as the UAE’s strongest man

Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”

Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry

Favourite car: Any classic car

Favourite superhero: The Hulk original

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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While you're here
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Takestep%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%202018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohamed%20Khashaba%2C%20Mohamed%20Abdallah%2C%20Mohamed%20Adel%20Wafiq%20and%20Ayman%20Taha%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cairo%2C%20Egypt%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20health%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEmployees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2011%20full%20time%20and%2022%20part%20time%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20pre-Series%20A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Indian construction workers stranded in Ajman with unpaid dues
PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz