The prime minister has until Saturday to put in place a new government that carries the endorsement of parliament.

But after more than nine months of political deadlock and wrangling following March 7 polls, it was Tuesday still far from certain whether Maliki would meet the deadline.

Government spokesman Ali-al Dabbagh told Alhurra television Tuesday that the list presented to parliament includes only 29 names, or roughly 70 percent of the total cabinet.

Maliki himself gave hint of the enormous difficulties he had faced after being appointed caretaker prime minister on November 25 and given 30 days to form a government.

"The process of distributing the ministries was difficult, and forming a national unity government is a difficult job, because you have to find a place for each winner," Maliki told reporters on Monday.

"Tomorrow, the names will be announced, and some names need to be studied," he said.

The Sunni-dominated Iraqiya bloc of former premier Iyad Allawi narrowly won the March 7 election with 91 seats in the 325-member parliament, followed by Maliki's Shiite State of Law Alliance with 89.

Neither was able to muster the majority needed to form a government, despite back-door negotiations with various Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish blocs that also picked up seats.

But a power-sharing pact was agreed on November 10 which saw Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, being reappointed as president and Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni Arab, named as speaker of parliament.

Talabani in turn on November 25 named Maliki for a second term as prime minister.

Following his nomination, Maliki called for political blocs to present "qualified and honest" candidates for ministerial posts and urged Iraqis to support the security forces as they fight a still present insurgent threat.

Speaker Nujaifi has said parliament will meet Tuesday afternoon to vote on the partial list of new ministers presented on Monday.

"Our desire is to build a strong government capable of solving the crisis of the country, and we will be proud of that," Nujaifi told a news conference.

According to Hassan Sineid, a deputy close to Maliki, the proposed appointments include Hoshyar Zebari from the Kurdish Alliance retaining his post as foreign minister and outgoing deputy prime minister Rafa al-Essawi of ex-premier Ayad Allawi's Iraqiya becoming head of the finance ministry.

Sineid also said on Iraqiya television that deputy oil minister Abdulkarim al-Luaybi is proposed to take charge of the oil ministry; Ziad Tareq, chosen by the Iraqiya bloc, is the proposed new electricity minister; and Hassan al-Shammari, with the National Alliance Shiite coalition, is to head the justice ministry.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh is to remain in the post.

Politicians had at the weekend said Maliki's initial list would not include the names of ministers of the interior, defence and national security, meaning Maliki would take interim control of Iraq's security forces.

That is despite past criticism that the premier has steadily tightened his grip on power by grouping increasing responsibilities under the office of the prime minister.

Including Maliki's own position and that of his three expected deputy prime ministers, the cabinet will number 42, slightly larger than the previous one.

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