Iraq’s Finance Minister Resigns Amid Political Crisis, Oil Minister Appointed To Replace Him

Iraqi Finance Minister Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi resigned on Tuesday amid a deep political impasse among Iraq’s political parties that has paralyzed the country, preventing the formation of a new government since parliamentary elections in October 2021. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi appointed Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail as acting finance minister, government spokesman Hassan Nadhim said in a televised press conference. The spokesman said Allawi’s stated reason for resigning was that “the government is constrained by the rampant conflict between the political parties that affected the implementation of reforms.” Allawi also serves as Iraq’s deputy prime minister.