Between acceptance and rejection… Will the House of Representatives succeed in passing the budget?

Information / Report… Despite the emergence of major objections to the budget tables, to reduce the budget of the governorates, especially the central and southern ones, the general atmosphere inside the House of Representatives indicates that these tables will be voted on next Monday.

It is noteworthy that the 2024 budget amounted to 211 trillion dinars, while last year’s budget amounted to 199 trillion dinars.

The 2024 budget tables were subjected to controversy and criticism by many members of the House of Representatives, because they reduced the governorates’ budget and gave it to the ministries, as some members announced that they would not vote on the budget in its current form.

Independent MP Mustafa Sanad published a table showing the percentage of budget completion by ministries and governorates.

The table shows that the governorates’ achievement rate is higher than the ministries.
Sanad commented on the table, saying, “They punished the governorates and funded the ministries, under the pretext that they did not spend their money.”

He called for “noting the numbers in the table.” However, some representatives saw that objection to the schedules was nothing but an attempt to disrupt the budget.
This is what MP Hussein Habib warned against, who revealed attempts by some to disrupt the vote on the 2024 budget.

Habib told “Al-Ma’louma” that, “The Presidency of the House of Representatives has set the day after tomorrow, Monday, as the date for presenting the 2024 budget schedules for a vote on it, pointing out that it is an important budget.” To finance projects, resume work on lagging projects, and provide important services in all governorates.

He added, “There are three challenges facing the 2024 budget schedules, the most prominent of which are the attempts of some to obstruct any signs of stability and the start of reconstruction, and the attempt to set irresponsible conditions that want to return based on what happened in past years of wasting public money, obstructing projects, and manifestations of failure, some of which are still evident through a huge amount.” Of the stalled and delayed projects.

He pointed out that “voting on the budget will increase the pace of the government’s implementation of its program, pointing out that the budget is a national matter that must be prevented from any interference in order to exploit it by any party.”

Today, Saturday, the Parliamentary Finance Committee resumed its meeting to write and read the budget schedules report.|

A brief statement from the committee received by “Al-Maalouma” stated, “The meeting is in preparation for voting on the agendas within the committee before submitting them to the presidency of the council.”

A member of the Finance Committee, Moeen Al-Kazemi, revealed to Al-Ma’louma that the committee will complete its observations today on the schedules that it will submit today to the Presidency of the Council.

Meanwhile, a member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Moeen Al-Kadhimi, announced that the committee will approve the budget schedules, in preparation for submitting them to a vote during the House of Representatives session next Monday.
Al-Kadhimi told Al-Maalouma, “The committee will hold a meeting today to finalize its decision on the budget schedules, before submitting them to a vote.”

He stressed, “The committee will submit its report today or tomorrow to the Acting Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mohsen Al-Nadalawi, to present it to a vote during its session next Monday.”

According to these repercussions, it appears that the percentage of those who agreed to pass the budget was much higher than those who objected to its schedules.

Almaalomah.me

An American journalist reveals a new scandal for the Barzani family.. “It owns 50 money laundering companies.”

Information/translation… A report on the iCord Daily website, on Saturday, written by the famous American journalist Michael Rubin, said that the Barzani people behind the scenes feel despair and frustration and their status in Washington has decreased, while it was revealed that the Barzani family owns 50 shell companies in the British Virgin Islands to launder money.

The report, translated by the Maalouma Agency, stated, “The arrogance of the son and potential heir to the throne, Masrour Barzani, towards National Security Council member Brett McGurk against the backdrop of the 2017 independence referendum, further antagonized the White House, and Masrour’s recent trip to Washington came against the backdrop of Despair over the 25 percent cut in US support for Peshmerga salaries, the White House and State Department reduced funding as both the Barzanis and the Taliban continued to treat the Peshmerga as personal militias rather than as a regional army.”

The report added, “Little American aid funds to the Peshmerga were actually going to security. At the height of the campaign against ISIS, Barzani reviewed the military equipment provided by the West in Erbil. Instead of sending it to the front, Masoud and Masrour Barzani mobilized it to strengthen their strength in the face of their Taliban rivals.”

The report continued, “While rumors of corruption surrounded the Barzani for a long time, Masoud and Masrour always refuted these rumors by saying that they were defamation and that their critics lacked evidence. Those days were over. When Masrour decided to ignore the lawsuit filed by the Kurdistan Victims Fund, he did not realize that his money man Sarwar Bidawi, who is currently facing his death due to a cancer diagnosis, and those close to him provided prosecutors with a truckload of documents related to the Barzani family’s finances.”

He stated that “the Bedway documents, which are now in a guarded vault, reveal the existence of more than 50 previously unknown shell companies established by the Barzanis in the British Virgin Islands and other tax and money-laundering havens.” He mentions, for example, how “the defendant Moxy Barzani [Masrour’s brother ] He owns a holding company in the British Virgin Islands, which owns Sylvania Fair Lake Limited in Washington, which in turn owns real estate in Mebane, North Carolina. Bidawi’s papers also reveal that Masrour is the director of Teague Holdings Limited, which was incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, and his younger brother, Wessi, also Barzani directs his funds through Barbosa Holdings Limited, which is also incorporated in the British Virgin Islands.”

The report explained that “the fictitious holding companies belonging to the Barzani family have implicated Americans, including the Undersecretary of the US Department of Defense or the Second Secretary of the Army, in cases related to corruption.”

The report noted, “With overwhelming evidence that the Barzani family has seized hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in aid and assistance on behalf of foreign accounts and shell companies, the question then becomes why would any member of Congress urge increased investment in the Kurdistan Regional Government?” .

The report stressed, “As the Bidawi Papers continue to shed light on the inner workings of Barzani’s financial networks, it is imperative that Congress not only begin scrutinizing the funds provided to Iraqi Kurdistan. The Bidawi Papers depict a theft and embezzlement scheme that appears to include billions of dollars, and not only dozens of dollars are involved.” From Kurdish officials, and even a handful of Americans as well.”

Almaalomah.me

The Finance Committee meets to prepare the final budget report

Information / Baghdad… On Saturday, the Finance Committee, headed by Atwan Al-Atwani, held a meeting to prepare the final report on the federal general budget schedules for the year 2024.

The Finance Committee said in a statement received by Al-Maalouma, “The members of the committee were keen to complete all the details related to the schedules and prepare the final report in preparation for presenting it to the House of Representatives, taking into account the state’s financial path and the economic feasibility that must be studied.”

She added, “The members of the committee presented views and opinions regarding the possibility of making the required transfers according to the need and economic vision in a way that is consistent with the public interest, as well as the importance of assessing the institutions’ need according to realistic data.”

The committee pointed out the need to raise the level of ambition in terms of the necessary financial allocations for projects and distribute the amounts fairly in accordance with the law and in line with the government program.

Almaalomah.me

A member of the Parliamentary Legal Council rules out the end of the current session without a Speaker of Parliament

A member of the Parliamentary Legal Committee described the election of a new Speaker of the House of Representatives as “difficult” due to the lack of political consensus on one of the candidates.
Muhammad Al-Khafaji told {Al-Furat News} agency, “Approving and legislating important laws does not conflict with the absence of an original speaker of the House of Representatives, as there is a necessity to agree on one candidate for the presidency of Parliament, and holding a session without agreement will result in the final outcome of not electing a Speaker of Parliament and not obtaining any vote.” “A candidate won the majority, and this is to no avail.”

He stated that “failing to elect the Speaker of the House of Representatives would be difficult, and we are ready to elect and hold a special session to elect the President, even if it is an exceptional session held after the end of the legislative term.”

Al-Khafaji stressed, “There must be an agreement on one candidate,” ruling out “the end of the current parliamentary session without electing a Speaker of the Council, and this issue must be resolved.”

Alforatnews.iq

Al-Halbousi ends the controversy: There is no return to Parliament

The head of the Taqaddam Party, Muhammad al-Halbousi, said on Friday that he is not seeking to return to the Iraqi parliament, after he was removed from his position as Speaker of the House of Representatives by a judicial decision.

Commenting on the decisions of the Court of Cassation, Al-Halbousi said: “I will not seek in any way to return to parliamentary work in this session.”

He added in an interview received by Shafaq News Agency: “Everyone who defends the repeated violations of the legislative authority must be certain beyond doubt that many of the wrong paths that weaken the state and its institutions and non-compliance with the principle of separation of powers will be put to an end through the efforts of philanthropists and those concerned for the country.”

In a precedent other than what is usual in Iraq, the Federal Court of Cassation issued a legal decision ruling that one of the decisions of the Federal Court – the highest judicial authority in the country – was “not final.” This decision opened the door for Al-Halbousi to file a cassation over the decision to remove him from the presidency of Parliament. Before the Federal Court in a move that was based on a “forgery” lawsuit filed by one of the representatives

The statement published on the court’s official website stated that it “decided to terminate the membership of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Muhammad Rekan Al-Halbousi, as of the date of issuance of the ruling on November 14, 2023.” The court also took a similar decision against MP Laith Mustafa Hammoud Al-Dulaimi, who filed the lawsuit, according to the statement.

Shafaq.com

A representative calls on the Sunni forces to sign a document that includes acceptance of the results of the elections for the Speaker of Parliament

A representative calls on the Sunni forces to sign a document that includes acceptance of the results of the elections for the

On Thursday, member of the Parliamentary Legal Committee, Raed Al-Maliki, called on the Sunni political forces to adopt a document that includes acceptance of the results of the election of the Speaker of Parliament, while he suggested that the election of the President be postponed until the next legislative term.

Al-Maliki said in an interview with the Maalouma Agency, “The Sunni political forces must sign a document obligating them to accept the results of the election of the Speaker of Parliament.”

He added, “There has not yet been any progress or development among the Sunni political forces regarding the selection of a candidate for the position of Speaker of Parliament,” noting that “the problem is now confined to the Sunni political forces and blocs.”

Al-Maliki stressed the necessity of “accepting the election results and congratulating the winning president,” pointing out that “all data indicate that the election of the president will be postponed until the next legislative term.”

Almaalomah.me

Law: America is behind the reduction in budget allocations to the South

The leader of the State of Law coalition, Haider Al-Lami, today, Thursday, attributed the reduction in financial allocations to the central and southern governorates to the American actor, adding that the continued pressure from Washington aims to create internal problems between the political forces.

Al-Lami said, in an interview with the Maalouma Agency, that “the government is required to stop the United States’ interference in internal Iraqi affairs,” noting that “there are many problems that occurred under American administration.”

He continued, “Part of the problem of the Kurdistan region’s employees’ salaries is that America is behind it to create a crisis with the Baghdad government,” pointing out that “Washington is pushing the issue of the southern and central provinces not receiving high percentages of the general budget that guarantee their entitlement.”

Al-Lami concluded his speech: “Parliament is required to move towards fairness to Iraq’s economic lung in financial allocations before approving them,” adding that “the goal of Washington’s continued pressure is to create internal problems among the political forces.”

Warnings continue of the consequences of suspicious moves led by Washington’s ambassador to Iraq, Elena Romanowski, aimed at causing strife, influencing the Iraqi decision, or imposing American hegemony and its interests at the expense of Iraq.

Almaalomah.me

Good news regarding the federal budget

On Tuesday, the coordination framework held a meeting in the presence of Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani.

A statement following the meeting stated that the attendees discussed the financial budget tables and stressed the necessity of approving it to achieve the interests of citizens and support the economic situation.

The meeting also stressed the importance of proceeding with the election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives as soon as possible.

A political source revealed to Shafaq News Agency, Monday, that the reason for the meeting was due to objections to the budget schedules sent by the Iraqi government, by the framework forces, and the refusal to pass them in their current form.

The government sent the budget schedules to Parliament for a vote after a delay of more than five months as a result of technical problems centered around the size of the deficit and the government’s attempts to reduce it.

There was controversy over the budget schedules after allocating an investment budget to the provinces amounting to 41 trillion Iraqi dinars, which some saw as unfair to the provinces by reducing their shares in exchange for increasing the Kurdistan Region’s share of 4 trillion, which the government denied.

The 2024 budget, according to what Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani announced, amounts to 211 trillion dinars, and employee salaries for the year 2024 amount to 62 trillion dinars, while the 2023 budget was 199 trillion dinars and employee salaries were 59 trillion dinars.

The revenues of the 2024 budget are estimated at 144 trillion and 336 billion dinars, while expenditures amount to 210 trillion and 936 billion dinars, while the deficit is 63 trillion and 599 billion dinars.

Shafaq.com

Political and professional objections are hindering it.. The budget journey is a long matter and Parliament does not know its date

The independent representative in the Iraqi Parliament, Kazem Al-Fayyad, confirmed today, Tuesday (May 28, 2024), that there is no date for voting on the 2024 budget, and explained the reason for this.

Al-Fayad said in a press interview, “There are many comments on the 2024 budget schedules, and there are parliamentary objections to them from parties and representatives, and this is what will delay voting on them,” noting that “there is no specific date for voting or even agreeing on them, as they require very lengthy discussions.”

He added, “Some of the objections are not devoid of political aspects, but there are technical, financial, and professional observations as well,” adding, “But of course, the budget cannot be passed without the major political forces agreeing on it within the House of Representatives.”

The period for extending the legislative term is supposed to end 11 days from now, specifically on June 9, and the start of the legislative recess, with representatives confirming that the discussion in the budget will be prolonged, especially due to the reduction of the governorates’ shares in the development of the regions. However, other representatives said that Parliament will not go into recess. Legislative even after the expiry of the deadline to extend the current legislative term until the budget is resolved.

Burathanews.com

Economist: The budget is not affected by the dollar exchange rates… and explains why

An economic expert ruled out that the financial budget was affected by the dollar exchange rates.

Bassem Jamil Antoine told Al-Furat News Agency, “The budget is not affected by the rise or fall of the dollar exchange rates, because Iraq will receive the dollar from oil exports, and on the contrary, revenues increase with the increase in dollar prices globally.”

He stated that “market obligations are dealt with in the Iraqi dinar, and there is no dealing in the dollar, and the budget is built primarily on the Iraqi dinar and not on the dollar, so the budget is never affected by the dollar exchange rates.”

Alforatnews.iq