Iraqi Parliament Approves New Cabinet in Long-Awaited Vote

Ministers of the new Iraqi government are being sworn in during the parliamentary session to vote on the new government in Baghdad on Oct. 27, 2022. Iraqi Parliament Information Office via AP

BAGHDAD—Iraq’s parliament gave its vote of confidence to a new Cabinet on Thursday, breaking a yearlong political stalemate. It’s the first government since 2005 that doesn’t include members from the bloc of a powerful Shiite cleric.

A majority of the 253 lawmakers present voted to appoint 21 ministers, with two posts—the Construction and Housing Ministry and the Environment Ministry—remaining undecided. Despite those two unresolved appointments, the approved Cabinet lineup constitutes a quorum.