Iraq's parliament expects to vote on a new government on Saturday, the speaker told lawmakers on Wednesday, signaling the prime minister was close to a deal on a cabinet line-up.
As parliament wound up for the day, one member asked speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani if the next session, scheduled for Saturday, would include a vote on the government.
Mashhadani replied: "That's what we have from the prime minister's office; we've had a note saying the prime minister wants to present his government to parliament on Saturday."
A source close to Prime Minister-designate Nuri al-Maliki said he hoped to be able to finalize the line-up of a national unity coalition on Thursday, four days ahead of a deadline.
Parliament must approve the appointments before the government, Iraq's first full-term, sovereign administration since the U.S. invasion of 2003, can take office.
With most parties expected to be represented in cabinet, the vote is likely to be a formality.
Maliki's 30-day deadline for forming a government expire on Monday. Although minority Sunni, secular and other parties, including members of Maliki's own Shi'ite Islamist bloc, said publicly they were still holding out for concessions, negotiators said agreement was close.
Maliki is due to chair an important meeting of party leaders later on Wednesday evening, senior officials said.
A broad breakdown of which of the five main groups -- Shi'ites, Kurds, two Sunni blocs and the secular Iraqi List -- get which of the 30 or so ministries has largely been agreed, but there are still disputes on some posts, negotiators said.
There are numerous names circulating for the actual government personnel, with each party sometimes proposing two or three people for ministries they expect to control to give Maliki the chance to choose which candidate best serves the interests of a consensus administration.