Iraqi Parliament Halts Budget Voting Session Amid Disputes

Shafaq News/ The parliamentary session dedicated to completing the vote on the budget bill was temporarily halted on Friday, according to a parliamentary source.

The source informed Shafaq News agency that the House of Representatives suspended its session for voting on the budget, with representatives of the political blocs holding meetings within their offices in Parliament.

Throughout the day, various meetings took place, including the presence of Hadi Al-Amiri, the head of the Al-Fateh Alliance, and representatives from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. The discussions aimed to agree on controversial points, particularly those related to the Kurdistan Region. However, a complete agreement was not reached, leading to ongoing deliberations among the political bloc leaders.

As the meetings intensified, signaling the start of a session attended by 180 deputies. However, the Kurdistan Democratic Party chose not to attend, citing the absence of an agreement.

Amid the boycott, representatives met with the KDP's ministers to discuss the issue and the party's stance. It was suggested that their attendance at the session would be split 50-50, reflecting the party's concerns about the encroachment on Kurdistan's constitutional powers through the budget.

Informed sources revealed that new agreements would be signed between the Coordination Framework, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi, ultimately securing the passage of the budget law.

Sharif Suleiman, a KDP representative, expressed concerns about the political targeting of the Kurdistan Region in the general budget. He emphasized the ongoing meetings and efforts to achieve complete consensus on the draft budget law but acknowledged that no agreement had been reached thus far.

Suleiman highlighted that the differences were primarily formal rather than substantive and could be overcome by relying on the constitution, political agreements, and principles of partnership and balance. However, he cautioned that failure to rely on these frameworks could lead to significant differences.

Suleiman stated, "There is political targeting of the Kurdistan Region, and there are political parties, including Kurdish parties, that want to obtain political gains at the expense of others, which is contrary to the constitution." He also noted attempts to withdraw the region's constitutional privileges.

The KDP representative anticipated that the budget would not be approved during the current session, suggesting the need for another session to resolve the ongoing disputes.