Shafaq News/ A group of Iraqi lawmakers withdrew from the ongoing session shortly after the budget bill's first article was put in to vote.

The Parliament Speaker, Muhammad al-Halbousi, commenced the session dedicated for voting on the 2021 Federal Budget bill and the Parliament dissolution with 215 MPs on the attendance record. 

However, controversy emerged upon voting on the first Article of the budget bill. 

The Article stipulates pricing oil at 65,000 dinars a barrel without specifying the exchange rate. However, this formula infers that the exchange rate of the US dollar is fixed at 1450 Iraqi dinars for each 1 dollar.

Shafaq News Agency correspondent said that a group of disapproving MPs lashed at the attendees and left the hall, breaking the quorum. 

Our correspondent said that the objecting MPs were the members of the State of Law coalition, the National Approach, and others from Al-Fatah and al-Nasr. 

 

The disapproving MPs demanded reconsidering the exchange rate and regularizing public contract employees with more than five years in service.