MPs Call for Passing Iraqi Budget Bill by Majority amid Disputes with Erbil

Iraqi deputies have called for passing the budget law through a majority vote, not by consensus.

They made their demand days after head of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, rejected demands to transfer all the revenues of oil exported from the region to Baghdad.

Last week, the Iraqi parliament’s finance committee announced resolving all outstanding matters related to the budget, following more than 300 meetings held over a period of a month and a half. While the talks resulted in many understandings between Baghdad and Erbil, the two sides are yet to agree on some pending points, mainly the mechanism by which the region’s oil would be sent to Baghdad.

Barzani surprised the central government when he announced last week of his refusal to hand over all oil and non-oil revenues to the Iraqi government, indicating that these demands were unconstitutional.

“Our problem with the federal government is not only the budget, but rather Article 140 and the Peshmerga,” he said in a press conference in Erbil.

“Our demands are that the budget be transparent and in accordance with the constitution,” he added.

Barzani noted that there were several proposals regarding the region’s share, including the export of 250,000 barrels and the delivery of half of the other revenues, noting that there were those “who demand us to send all the oil and non-oil revenues, which is unconstitutional.”

Meanwhile, the parliament’s committee on economy and investment announced that the budget was ready for voting. Committee member Mayada al-Najjar said that the budget could be submitted to a vote in the middle of next week.

MP Mansour Al-Baiji called for voting on the budget by a political majority instead of consensus. In a statement on Friday, he noted that the amendments that were made to the budget law by the Finance Committee were “significant and have changed a lot in the content of the budget… except for the paragraph on the Kurdistan region’s share, which is the only pending issue.”

“The Kurdistan region’s share represents the eternal problem in the budget law… There is no solution to this matter because the regional government does not commit to its pledges. Therefore, the budget cannot be delayed and must be submitted to a political majority vote, as the only solution,” he suggested.