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Meet Iraq’s new Cabinet

Most of new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's Cabinet members are technocrats with long histories of working in their areas of expertise, with no or little affiliation with political parties.

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi delivers a speech during the vote on the new government at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 7, 2020. Iraqi Parliament Media Office/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2IJG9BR3JH
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi delivers a speech during the vote on the new government at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 7, 2020. — Iraqi Parliament Media Office/Handout via REUTERS

After months of deadlock and political crisis, and following the failure of two other prime minister-designates, the Iraqi parliament finally approved Mustafa Kadhimi for the premiership  — also voting in favor of his government plan and 15 of 22 proposed ministers — on Wednesday. The remaining seven portfolios will be discussed and voted on later.

In an interview with CNN last month, Iraqi President Barham Salih said of Kadhimi, “We just appointed … the head of intelligence of the country. But this gentleman that has just been appointed is a former journalist, a human rights activist, and he's quite, quite well-known in the human rights circle.”

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