The prime minister of Iraq has reportedly selected five of his cabinet ministers from people who applied for the positions online.
Adel Abdul-Mahdi and two-thirds of his cabinet were sworn in on 25 October following the country’s turbulent parliamentary elections in May, and last month took the unprecedented step of “inviting members of the public to apply for [the remaining] posts online”, the BBC says.
The site adds that prospective candidates were asked to attach a CV and “provide evidence that they met the requirements”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to Kurdish news agency Rudaw, the Abdul-Mahdi government recieved more than 15,000 applications, which created a database “to be made use of in picking experts, volunteers, and specialists based on need”.
The move is thought to be a tactic to circumvent allegations of corruption, the site adds. “Governments in Iraq post-Saddam Hussein have been criticised for corruption and patronage based on party allegiances,” it says, and the new system allows for greater transparency.
However, the new PM came under fire for what some fellow politicians called an “unacceptable” approach to government recruitment, Arab News reported.
“This is a mockery of the position of minister. There is no government in the world that respects itself and is formed in this way,” a prominent Shiite leader who served as a minister told the site.
“This is just a silly trick or a joke. Instead of wasting his time in these games, he has to invest every minute of the remaining 20 days to choose his ministers.”
“We do not know the idiot who suggested this, but it is certain that Abdul Mahdi knows for sure that the nominations for the ministry are not done in this way,” another added.
Arab News also says that the decision has left Abdul-Mahdi “flooded with applications from jobless Iraqis” and made him “the butt of social media jokes [and] criticism from the government’s opponents”.
-
What’s behind Europe’s sharp drop in illegal migration?Today's Big Question Fall in migrant crossings won’t head off tougher immigration clampdowns
-
The new Stratus Covid strain – and why it’s on the riseThe Explainer ‘No evidence’ new variant is more dangerous or that vaccines won’t work against it, say UK health experts
-
‘Nightmare bacteria’ are rapidly spreadingUnder the radar The infections are largely resistant to antibiotics
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
