Iraq to vote on new government

The Iraqi parliament is set to vote on a new government after months of deadlock following the country’s inconclusive March 7 election.

An official with the Sunni-backed Iraqiya coalition, Jaber al-Jaberi, said the parliament will vote on a list of 42 ministers and top government posts proposed on Monday by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.

The Shiite leader ended months of deadlock by pulling together a wobbly coalition including members from all of the country’s political factions representing Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds.

But serious challenges remain. Nearly a third of the ministers proposed by Mr Maliki are only to be acting ministers since he and followers of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr could not agree on who should have many of the posts.