Iraq PM orders senior officials to run vacant ministries until ministers are appointed

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaydi on Thursday ordered the undersecretaries of several ministries that still lack a minister to attend Cabinet meetings until replacements are appointed. According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, al-Zaydi authorized the undersecretaries of the defense, interior, planning, construction, housing and municipalities, higher education and scientific research, culture, labor and social affairs, migration and displaced persons, and youth and sports ministries to run their respective ministries. The authority granted to the undersecretaries excludes the exclusive powers of any acting minister assigned to the portfolio, the statement said. Al-Zaydi said the decision was intended to ensure the continued functioning of the ministries, accelerate the pace of work and prevent delays in government and citizen services. The prime minister also directed the undersecretaries to step up their work and improve performance. Separately, he ordered the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Municipalities to prepare a detailed study on Baghdad's Fourth Ring Road project and instructed that the Yazidi population in the Sinjar district of Nineveh province be included in a one-million-plot housing land program.