Expectations of a delay in approving the budget until May: its amounts reach 220 trillion dinars

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[size=52]Expectations of a delay in approving the budget until May: its amounts reach 220 trillion dinars[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Firas Adnan[/size]
[size=45]Representatives affirmed that the Council of Ministers continues to prepare for the largest budget law in the history of the Iraqi state, indicating that the total sums of it may reach 220 trillion dinars, pointing out that the delay in its approval is not borne by Parliament, expecting to vote on it within three months.[/size]
[size=45]According to political sources, the Prime Minister, Muhammad Shia'a Al-Suadni, pledged in a previous meeting of the State Administration Alliance his intention to send the budget law in February.[/size]
[size=45]Representative Muhammad Al-Shammari said, “The amended Federal Financial Management Law No. (6) of 2019 provides for passing the federal budget law before the beginning of the current year.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Shammari continued, "The reasons for the delay are due to old accumulations, because we have not approved a budget since 2021, and this has led to a number of problems that have accumulated."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "There are a large number of job seekers in state institutions. For example, there are very large numbers of daily contract holders who are demanding that they be converted into contracts in accordance with Cabinet Resolution 315."[/size]
[size=45]And Al-Shammari said, "The reasons also included differences between the federal government and the Kurdistan region regarding the share of the region."[/size]
[size=45]And he stressed, "Raising the operational side at the expense of the investment would burden the budget, especially after including large job grades."[/size]
[size=45]And Al-Shammari continues, “The budget amounts will reach between 200 to 220 trillion dinars,” warning of “a large deficit,” calling for “finding appropriate solutions to bridge this deficit.”[/size]
[size=45]It is expected that “this budget will be the largest in the history of Iraq,” noting that “the dispute with the Kurdistan region must end over its percentage, otherwise we will go to impose a reality.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Shammari believes that "an agreement will be reached regarding the percentage of the region to the satisfaction of everyone and achieve justice, which will appear during the next few days."[/size]
[size=45]And he continues, “What is important for us is that this year will not pass without a budget decision, because the political blocs agree on that, and this is what was included in the agreement to form the government between the forces of the state administration coalition.”[/size]
[size=45]And Al-Shammari believes, "The political forces, as a result of the delay in approving the budget, are now living in a state of extreme embarrassment in front of the Iraqi street."[/size]
[size=45]And he added, "Members of the House of Representatives will go towards expediting the passage of this law as soon as it is received from the Council of Ministers."[/size]
[size=45]And Al-Shammari concluded, “The time limit that is required for approving the budget is about three months, from the date of its arrival from the Council of Ministers. If we receive it next month, the vote on it may be in May.”[/size]
[size=45]For his part, MP Yasser Al-Husseini said, "Parliament has not yet received the draft budget law, whether it is official or even leaked."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Husseini added, "All that is being talked about through the media is just speculation and speculation that specialists or representatives talk about."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The budget law will not be devoid of the political side, especially between the parties that worked to form the government when they concluded an agreement called the State Administration Alliance."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Husseini explained, "The law will depend, in passing it, on political consensus in a way that exceeds its reliance on mechanisms and technical solutions."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed, "All indications indicate that the political consensus in which the budgets of the past years have passed will be repeated this year."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Husseini concluded, "The budget, and for the blocs to be able to pass it, needs political momentum and consensus among the blocs within the side corridors, because those responsible for the technical side have fully accomplished their tasks."[/size]
[size=45]In addition, Representative Aref Al-Hamami confirmed that “the approval of the budget law will be in two stages, the first with the government and the second within the parliament.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Hamami stated, "The government has not accomplished its mission regarding approving the project, and after this process is completed, it is transferred to Parliament with a series of constitutional procedures, which is the discussion in the first reading, then the report of the Finance Committee, and then the vote."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The current delay is borne by the government, and the responsibility cannot be placed on Parliament because the law has not reached it until the present time."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Hamami concluded, “The House of Representatives, according to the constitution, has two types of amendments to the budget law, the first is to reduce the total amounts, and the second is to transfer between chapters.[/size]
[size=45]While Representative Muhannad Al-Khazraji stated that “the Kurdistan region has not yet agreed on its share of the budget with the central government, and it may take a long time until the points of contention between the two parties are overcome and a common solution formula is reached.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Khazraji added, "The House of Representatives needs a period of no less than a month to discuss the budget paragraphs after their arrival from the government, and it may cancel some paragraphs and add others."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "These obstacles have often accompanied the budget over previous parliamentary sessions, especially with regard to the share of the Kurdistan region."[/size]
[size=45]The first commitments of the Prime Minister, Muhammad Shia'a al-Sudani, in his government platform, which was approved by Parliament, was to expedite the sending of the budget.[/size]
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