Iraqi PM-designate says working to form coalition gov't

BAGHDAD, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said on Sunday that he is working to form a coalition government and has been interviewing candidates from different political blocs for ministerial positions.

"The interviews with candidates are carried out through a committee that includes a group of advisors headed by al-Sudani himself," al-Sudani's office said in a statement.

Talks are underway between al-Sudani and members of political blocs to reach an agreement on cabinet appointments, it said, adding the official appointment will be announced after a date for a confidence vote in parliament on the newly-formed government is set.

On Oct. 13, newly-elected President Abdul Latif Rashid tasked al-Sudani with forming a new government as al-Sudani was nominated by the Coordination Framework (CF), the largest parliamentary alliance and an umbrella group of Shiite parliamentary parties.

According to the Iraqi constitution, al-Sudani has 30 days to form his government starting Oct. 13.

Political tensions have been rising in the past months between the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Sadrist Movement, the biggest winner in the parliamentary elections in 2021, and its rivals in the CF alliance.

Al-Sadr demanded to dissolve parliament and hold early elections, but it was rejected by the CF parties, which became the largest bloc after al-Sadr ordered his followers to withdraw from the parliament in June.