Subscribe 

2020 budget delayed amidst political chaos

Iraq is headed for the new year without a new budget, casting uncertainty on investment spending plans and financial flows for Kurdistan.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi meets with a committee investigating violence at protests on Oct. 18, 2019.

BAGHDAD/ERBIL - Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi has indicated he is unlikely to send a draft 2020 budget to Parliament, instead leaving the next government to answer tough questions about how to pay a massive public-sector payroll, fund investment spending, and establish a stable financial and oil arrangement with the Kurdistan region.

"Abd al-Mahdi saw the growing opposition against his government and the draft budget as well, so he did not want to send a draft [budget to Parliament] that could have increased this opposition," said Shirwan Mirza, a member of the Parliament Finance Committee. "It’s not reasonable to get a caretaker government to make a financial plan for the next one."

This content is for registered users. Please login to continue.
If you are not a registered user, you may purchase a subscription.