New Delhi, May 16: Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated Ali Falih Kadhim al-Zaidi on assuming office as Iraq’s new Prime Minister, reaffirming India’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation and strategic ties.
In a post on X, PM Modi said India values its long-standing relationship with Iraq and expressed confidence in working closely with the new Iraqi leadership for the mutual progress and prosperity of both nations.
Ali al-Zaidi formally assumed office after securing parliamentary approval for a partial Cabinet amid continuing political negotiations over several key ministries.
Iraq’s Parliament approved 14 ministers in a session chaired by Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi, while voting on critical portfolios including the interior and defence ministries was postponed due to the absence of political consensus.
Among the approved ministers were Fuad Hussein, who retained the foreign affairs portfolio, Bassim Mohammed Khudair as oil minister, and Faleh al-Sari as finance minister.
Following the confidence vote, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and the approved Cabinet members took the constitutional oath before Parliament, formally beginning the new administration’s tenure.
Under Iraq’s Constitution, a prime minister-designate must obtain parliamentary approval for both the Cabinet and the government programme before officially assuming office.
Ali al-Zaidi was appointed prime minister-designate by Nizar Amedi on April 27 after being nominated by the Coordination Framework, Iraq’s largest parliamentary alliance comprising mainly Shiite political groups.
Iraq continues to follow its post-2003 power-sharing political structure, under which the presidency is traditionally held by a Kurd, the parliamentary speakership by a Sunni Muslim, and the office of prime minister by a Shiite Muslim.
