© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Iraqi Parliament Approves New Government Led By Abadi

After months of uncertainty and political wrangling, Iraq has a new government, led by Shiite Haider al-Abadi. After hours in session Monday, the country's parliament gave its approval to Abadi and several cabinet ministers.

Abadi was nominated to lead Iraq last month, as support for Nouri al-Maliki unraveled in the face of factional strife and the advances of extremists the Islamic State. One month ago, as Maliki attempted to hold on to power, Abadi's nomination sparked demonstrations by Maliki's supporters. Today, Maliki was given a vice president post.

The process of forming a new government has been a complicated one, with Abadi tasked with creating new alliances that will unify a nation that's been fractured by violence and sectarian unrest. Most of the ministerial positions in his government are now filled.

"My government is committed to solve all suspended issues with the Kurdistan Regional Government," Abadi said in parliament today, according to Al Jazeera.

Reutersreports:

"His deputy prime ministers were named as Hoshiyar Zebari, a Kurd and Iraq's only post-Saddam Hussein foreign minister, and Saleh Mutlaq, a secular Sunni Muslim who served in the same position in the last government."

In a profile of Abadi, NPR's Parallels blog recently wrote:

"Abadi is a genial electrical engineer in his early 60s who often served as an intermediary for diplomats and Western journalists in Baghdad. He was comfortable in the role, having been educated in England and serving as the British representative of the Dawa party, a Shiite Islamist group, when it was in exile during the era of dictator Saddam Hussein.

"Abadi's prominence in Dawa gives him credibility with the country's Shiite majority. Dawa was formed in the 1950s among Shiite intellectuals following the direction of a respected cleric."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content