Iraq’s parliament on Thursday voted to approve the government program and part of the Cabinet lineup of Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi but hit an impasse over some of the ministerial appointments.

The 270 lawmakers in attendance voted to confirm 14 ministers in the 23-member Cabinet. Most were newcomers to the government, but foreign minister Fuad Hussein retained his post.

Nominees for three posts - interior minister, higher education minister and planning minister - failed to win parliamentary approval. Voting on other positions - including the defense, labor, housing and reconstruction and education ministers - was postponed to a later stage, with no date set.

Iraqi politics is prone to deadlock and has often seen lengthy periods of political vacuum.

Under a power-sharing arrangement among the political factions, the dominant parliamentary bloc - the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties allied with Iran - picks 12 ministers, while Sunni parties choose six, Kurdish parties four…