Six months after the resignation of Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi, due to the protests which began in Arab Shia cities in October 2019 and spread all over Iraq, the new government could be established.

Mustafa al-Kadhimi took office last Wednesday after the parliament elected a new government.

The parliament approved 15 ministers out of a prospective 22-seat cabinet in a vote of confidence. Five candidates were rejected; voting on two ministers was postponed and seven ministries are still empty, including the key oil and foreign affairs positions.

Muqtada al-Sadr, who has the highest number of deputies, has given the new government 100 days to implement the government's promised reforms and plan.

Al-Sadr also said that al-Kadhimi is "a serious person in his business and loves his country".

Al-Kadhimi is a former a former intelligence chief and journalist. He is said to be close to Washington but did not refuse to stretch a hand out to Iran. 

Iraq’s new prime minister has promised to fight corruption, limit access to weapons to those within the government, and return the displaced to their homes. Perhaps more importantly for the people, he said a priority will be to hold accountable those who had killed protesters during previous months of unrest.

He also promised early elections and to pass a budget law that will have to address the deep economic crisis the country is in.