Iraqi Parliament Schedules May 14 Confidence Vote on 14 of 23 Zaidi Ministerial Nominees

PM-designate Ali al-Zaidi submitted 14 of his 23 proposed ministerial nominations to the Council of Representatives on May 10 for a confidence vote scheduled for May 14, deliberately bypassing contested security portfolios including interior and defense. The omission was a calculated move to sidestep the Coordination Framework's internal divisions over which Iran-aligned factions would receive the security ministries — portfolios that effectively control the PMF integration into state structures. The 14 nominees covered oil, finance, foreign affairs, justice, electricity, health, education, transport, agriculture, communications, industry, trade, water resources, and environment. Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud al-Mashhadani confirmed the May 14 session. Zaidi stated he would submit the remaining nine nominations after the Eid al-Adha holiday, expected around May 26-28. Kurdish and Sunni bloc leaders voiced concern that deferring the interior and defense nominations delayed proper representation in the government's security apparatus.