Iraqi PM-designate meets with officials in push to form ‘government that serves the public’

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi met April 11 with government leaders in his efforts to quickly form a Cabinet he said would be “a government that serves the public, a government of services.”

Kadhimi, who has been director of Iraq’s National Intelligence Service since 2016, pledged in a televised address April 9 to “work tirelessly to present Iraqis with a program and Cabinet that will work to serve them, protect their rights and take Iraq toward a prosperous future.”

Iraqi President Barham Salih named Kadhimi as prime minister-designate after Adnan al-Zurfi, a former governor of Najaf, withdrew his candidacy.

Kadhimi, who is not affiliated with any Iraqi political party, is the third candidate for the post since Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned in November 2019 in response to widespread anti-government protests. Prior to his appointment as intelligence director, Kadhimi worked as a journalist and was previously editor of Al-Monitor’s Iraq Pulse.