Iraqi Parliament urges government to draft 2026 budget
Shafaq News - Baghdad
On Friday, Iraq’s Parliamentary Finance Committee criticized the government for failing to submit the 2025 budget tables to the legislature, calling the delay a legal violation.
Committee member Moein al-Kadhimi told Shafaq News Agency that the government has breached the Tripartite Budget Law (Law No. 13 of 2023), which requires the submission and ratification of budget schedules annually, just as was done for 2024.
“Funding and spending have continued since the start of the year without legal cover, which creates complications,” al-Kadhimi warned, adding that the government was supposed to submit the 2025 tables before the end of 2024. “However, a recent directive from the Prime Minister’s Office instructed the Ministry of Finance to delay work on the 2025 budget schedules and instead begin preparations for the 2026 budget.”
Al-Kadhimi ruled out any near-term approval of the 2025 budget schedules, citing the government's remaining five months in office. “In the meantime, it continues to fund salaries for civil servants, retirees, social welfare programs, and both operational and investment expenditures based on available funds in the state treasury.”
Regarding the 2026 budget, al-Kadhimi stressed that if the government is serious about preparing it, work should begin immediately, using oil price estimates and current market conditions as a basis, “so the draft can be handed over to the incoming administration.”
