Iraqi PM seeks to reshuffle in five key ministry positions, including oil and electricity

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani plans to reshuffle five ministries in his cabinet next month including the oil minister, Iraqi and Kurdish sources close to the matter exclusively told The New Arab. 

During a sit-in with several Iraqi media channels on Wednesday night, Sudani said that within his cabinet's program they have identified six months for evaluating the performance of the ministers as per "professional standards".  He also said the changes will take place after Eid Al-Fitr and they include general directors and governors. 

"Five Shia ministers from the Coordination Farmwork, an umbrella coalition from the Iran-backed Shia parties and forces in Iraq, will be replaced by Sudani early in May," sources told TNA, on condition of anonymity.

According to the sources, Sudani wants to replace Hayyan Abdulghani, Minister of Oil, Ziad Ali Fadhil, Minister of Electricity, Minister of Water Resources, Aoun Diab, the Minister of Trade Atheer Daoud Al-Ghurairy and the Minister of Transport, Razak Muhibis Al-Saadawi. But, Nouri al-Maliki, head of the Sate of Law Coalition has yet to agree on changing Abdulghani.

"The Kurds and the Sunnis did not yet agree in changing their ministers. The Coordination Framework will meet again after Eid al-Fitr and will make a final decision regarding the cabinet reshuffling," the sources added. "The Kurds and the Sunnis will vote for the cabinet reshuffling at the parliament as they have agreements with the Coordination Framework."

Sudani, from the Shia community, was chosen to form the new government on 13 October following months of infighting between pro-Iran factions and parties loyal to Iraqi nationalist Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr.

He has the backing of the Coalition for the Administration of the State, which is an alliance of powerful pro-Iran Shia factions, Sunni factions led by al-Halbusi and two key Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). 

"The Iraqi people can no longer tolerate corruption, lack of public services, security, unemployment and etc. Iraqi politicians and party leaders more than the people understand that reform must be done and it has to be seen in practice,"Ramiar Jamal, a Kurdish political analyst, remarked to TNA.

"Iraq is yet suffering from lack of public services, electricity, lack of security, huge youth unemployment, external intervention, etc, reasons which are enough to answer the question of why such reshuffling is a necessity," Jamal added.