Iraq's Parliament strikes down Abadi's nominees for interior, defense ministers

BAGHDAD, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Iraq's Parliament rejected Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's nominees for the ministers of defense and interior on Tuesday.

Abadi is attempting to fill the top two security posts, which are among five unfilled cabinet positions following the formation of government last week.

Having promised Parliament he would fill the remaining positions within a week, the rejected nominations on Tuesday suggest Abadi may be struggling to form an inclusive government.

The position of interior minister typically goes to a Shiite, but rival factions took issue with Abadi's nomination of Riyadh Ghareeb, a Shiite engineer and former labor minister.

The Iranian-backed Shiite militia, Badr Corps, preferred to nominate one of their own but Abadi worried a Shiite militia leader could alienate the Sunni minority.

Abadi's own Shiite party, State of Law, lamented the nominee's lack of experience in the security field.

The position of defense minister is typically filled by a Sunni, but the Sunni lawmakers also faced internal divisions reaching a consensus.

In order to overcome the stalemate, Abadi forced a vote for his nominee, Sunni Islamist Jaber al-Jaberi. Although less contentious than another candidate, Khalid al-Obaidi, Abadi's nominee also lacked sufficient experience and was considered by some the U.S. favorite.

Sunni parliamentarian Mahmood al-Mashadani said, "It's a shame on America to try to impose such a person on us... This is why today we punished them all by not voting for al-Jaberi."

Parliament is expected to vote again on Thursday.