Iraqi parliament approves new Cabinet in long-awaited vote

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s parliament has voted to form a new Cabinet, ending a yearlong political stalemate. The parliament agreed Thursday on a lineup of 21 ministers, with two seats remaining undecided. The Cabinet, which is headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, is the first since 2005 that does not include the bloc headed by the influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The parliament was elected in early elections one year ago as a result of mass antigovernment protests, but since then political infighting has resulted in a stalemate between factions headed by al-Sadr and by his rival, the Iran-backed former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.