Iraq’s new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi speaks to Iraqi lawmakers before submitting his government in Baghdad, Iraq, on Monday, Sept. 8, 2014.BAGHDAD – Iraq’s parliament officially named Haider al-Abadi the country’s new prime minister late Monday and approved most of his proposed Cabinet amid calls by the Arab League for its members to combat the Sunni militant group violently advancing across Iraq and Syria.
Lawmakers approved all of the candidates proposed for Iraq’s new government, with the exception of a few posts, namely the defense and interior ministers. Al-Abadi requested an additional week to name them.
Outgoing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and former Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujeifi were given the largely ceremonial posts of co-vice president. Kurdish politician and former Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari was named as one of three deputy prime ministers. Former premier Ibrahim al-Jafaari was named foreign minister.
The U.S. and other countries have been pushing for a more representative government that will ease anger among Sunnis, who felt marginalized by al-Maliki’s administration, helping fuel the dramatic sweep by the Islamic State extremist group over much of northern and western Iraq since June.
Speaking before parliament, Al-Abadi vowed to “back the military operations in all the areas of confrontation against the armed gangs and the forces of terrorism and ensuring their continuation till victory is achieved.”