State Administration Coalition convenes to address Kurdistan’s Share in Budget

Shafaq News / The State Administration Coalition is scheduled to hold a special meeting this evening, Monday, to discuss the Kurdistan Region's allocation in the national budget.

The coalition includes the Coordinating Framework, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Al-Siyada coalition, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Azm coalition, and Babylon movement.

An informed source told Shafaq News Agency that the meeting will focus on Articles 13 and 14 of the Iraqi budget bill, which were previously agreed upon.

The Coordinating Framework held a meeting in Baghdad last night to prepare for the State Management Coalition meeting today, Monday.

The State Administration Coalition is mobilizing for a definitive budget dispute settlement in a meeting on Monday, Faisal al-Naeli, a member of the Parliament's Finance Committee, said following the suspension of a committee meeting scheduled for today, Sunday.

"The Committee's work has not been halted per se, but rather its meetings have been postponed to offer the State Administration Coalition the opportunity to discuss provisions related to the Kurdistan region," the lawmaker told Shafaq News Agency.

Previously, the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, expressed "deep concern" about the changes that affected the provisions of the Iraqi general budget law related to the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region, stating his complete rejection of them.

While the Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani stated that "a group in the Parliamentary Finance Committee introduced amendments to the federal budget, thereby violating a previous agreement we had reached with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and his government." He further explained that "the agreement, which is the cornerstone of cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad, must be respected by all."

Last Thursday, the Parliamentary Finance Committee voted to require the Kurdistan Region to pay 10% monthly from the deducted salaries of its employees, which was included in the budget amendments under discussion.

Furthermore, Mustafa Sanad, a member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, confirmed the committee's vote on amendments related to the region in the budget law, particularly regarding oil delivery, noting that the Kurdistan Democratic Party bloc members withdrew from the meeting.

The Iraqi Cabinet approved the largest financial budget in the country's history on March 13, surpassing 197 trillion and 828 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $152.2 billion), with a total deficit of 63 trillion Iraqi dinars, capitalizing on the global increase in oil prices, which constitute over 95% of the country's financial revenues. However, the budget has not been officially approved yet due to ongoing disagreements and objections from financial and legal experts regarding its provisions.