Kurdish MP Calls for Legal Challenge Against 'Dangerous Bomb' in Triennial Budget Law

Shafaq News/ A Kurdish member of the Iraqi Parliament on Saturday called on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to challenge what he described as a "dangerous bomb" in the Triennial General Budget Law, given it leaves the fate of the region's share in the hands of the Shiite majority in the Iraqi Parliament.

Soran Omar, a member of the "Kurdistan Justice Group" bloc, made this statement in a post titled "The dangerous bomb has become law" on his Facebook page.

The legislator said that the Kurdistan Regional Government should challenge paragraph seven of article 13 in the General Budget Law for the years 2023 - 2024 - 2025.

This paragraph suggests that if a disagreement on rights and obligations between the regional government and the federal government, a joint committee from both sides will strive to resolve disputes within 30 days. If no resolution is reached, the Iraqi parliament will make an appropriate decision.

Omar warned that this "dangerous bomb" has become a law. "Many problems and disagreements arise between the visions of the region and Baghdad, and it would be better if the Iraqi Prime Minister made a decisive decision on these issues, not the Iraqi parliament."

Omar said that the Coordination Framework, a consortium of mainly Iran-backed Shiite forces, altered this paragraph in the draft of the government law, explaining that instead of the premier solving the problems, they would be referred to the parliament. "There, the Shiite majority would make decisions regarding the region's share in case of a dispute, and the decision would inevitably suspend the region's share of the budget."

Omar urged the regional government to quickly file an appeal against this paragraph in the general budget.