Al-Kadhimi received widespread support after his predecessor Adnan al-Zulfi dropped out from forming the government
Iraq’s President Barham Salih nominated the head of the National Intelligence Service Mustafa al-Kadhimi as the new Prime Minister-designate on April 9. The nomination came moments after Prime Minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi withdrew his candidacy amid extreme pressure from the opposition. Mr Kadhimi is the third person to have been nominated for this position in just over two months. He has been asked to form a government in the politically fragmented nation.
Intelligence chief Kadhimi, 53, has ascended the role as Iraq is facing a budget crisis due to the collapse of oil prices across the world and the global health crisis caused by coronavirus pandemic. Spy chief Kadhimi has gained widespread support as his nomination was attended by country’s top political figures including the United Nations representative in Iraq, Iranian General Esmail Qaani, who headed the foreign operations unit of the Quds Force after the assassination of his predecessor, Qassem Soleimani, carried out by the US in Baghdad in January
