Passing the budget law is a "positive step", advisor to Kurdistan's president says

Shafaq News/ An advisor to the president of Iraq's region of Kurdistan, Delshad Shehab, on Wednesday welcomed the federal budget approval in the cabinet as a "positive step" towards political and economic stability in the country.

Speaking at the Seventh Sulaimania International Forum, Shehab said, "the approval of the federal budget is the right step towards political and economic stability in the country, and the region's presidency is pleased with this step."

"We hope that the right decision will be made regarding the other laws, especially the oil and gas law, which is one of the important laws in the country," he said, "we also hope that the country's resources will be a point of convergence for us rather than a cause of our problems and divisions."

Regarding the parliamentary elections in the region, Shehab said, "determining the date of the elections is a legal obligation for the region's president, and a date has been set for it."

When asked about the meeting between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the president's advisor replied, "the meetings are underway between the two parties to prepare for [holding] the election on time."

When asked about the federal court's ruling against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Shehab said, "we prefer to live in the bright future. The Kurdistan region, particularly the main parties, have participated in the new Iraqi government within the State Administration Coalition for the first time, and an agreement was signed between the member parties."

"According to that agreement, a new law for the federal court must be enacted in accordance with the constitution. The Supreme Judicial Council also agrees to enact a law consistent with the Iraqi constitution."

"The constitution stipulates that the federal court must be formed in accordance with a law that is voted on by a majority of two-thirds of the council members," he explained, "in order to hold an election in 2020, the law was amended under pressure, and the two-thirds condition was waived. Therefore, there is a dire need to pass a new law that is consistent with the Iraqi constitution."