From Business to Premiership: Ali al-Zaidi Becomes Iraq’s Prime Minister

Officially, Iraqi President Nezar Amidi tasked Ali al-Zaidi with forming the Council of Ministers, bringing him into the political scene through a door he had never previously entered.

Al-Zaidi is known publicly as a businessman, the owner of Dijlah TV, and chairman of Al‑Janoob Islamic Bank. His professional career has been entirely rooted in the private sector, with no prior record of holding government office or direct involvement in Iraq’s political process.

In 2024, the Central Bank of Iraq imposed a ban on Al-Janoob Islamic Bank from conducting U.S. dollar transactions as part of a campaign to combat money laundering and currency smuggling, according to reporting by Reuters at the time.

Although his name has been presented as that of a “consensus figure” from outside the political class, no official source has so far clarified the background that brought him to the forefront of nominations, or which side promoted his candidacy within political circles—particularly given a career record confined to business, banking, and media, far from the traditional pathways that usually lead to government formation in Iraq.