ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Iraqi parliament is set to hold a vote on Thursday to approve the country’s next government presented by Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, according to a handout of the session’s agenda seen by The New Region.

Zaidi was tasked with forming the country’s new government on April 27 by the country’s newly-elected president Nizar Amedi, after his nomination by the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework earlier in April.

The agenda published by the parliament’s media office includes only one item: “Voting on the ministerial program and the government of the Prime Minister-designate, Mr. Ali Falih al-Zaidi.”

The Iraqi parliament on Saturday announced that preparations are underway for holding an upcoming vote of confidence in Zaidi, as he prepares for the formation of his cabinet.

The legislature was initially set to convene on Monday or Tuesday but disagreements between Shiite blocs on sovereign ministries delayed the session, The New Region has learned.

Sovereign ministries in Iraq include foreign affairs, interior, defense, finance, and oil.

Zaidi’s designation as prime minister was welcomed by a wide spectrum of domestic and foreign powers, including the US, with President Donald Trump personally welcoming the designation. His selection for the top post came after the US vetoed a previous pick in Nouri al-Maliki by the Coordination Framework.

Holding a master’s degree in Finance and Banking, Zaidi is widely seen as a compromise figure and is relatively unknown in the Iraqi political sphere.

Zaidi is bound by the Iraqi constitution to present his cabinet within 30 days of his appointment as prime minister-designate on April 27.