Parliament approves budget for 2019 after weeks of stalemate Iraqi parliament during a session in Baghdad. "Reuters"

Economy News Baghdad
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament passed the 2019 budget early Thursday morning after a long-term vote, ending weeks of stalemate over allocations to various provinces and privatization of government projects.

The parliament did not vote as planned on three ministerial posts still vacant, to keep Iraq with a government incomplete months after the general election.

The budget expects to export 3.88 million barrels of oil per day, up from 3.8 million bpd the previous year, at a price of $ 56 a barrel, up from $ 46 in the budget for 2018.

The 133 trillion dinars ($ 112 billion) budget included the payment of salaries of Kurdish Peshmerga forces, a military force in the semi-independent Kurdistan region, in a move MPs said could help ease tension between Baghdad and Erbil, the provincial capital.

Expected exports include 250,000 bpd from the Kurdish region. Exports from northern Kirkuk resumed in November after a year-long lull.

Exports from the Basra fields in southern Iraq account for more than 95 percent of the revenues of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Kurdish deputies welcomed the push to pay the Peshmerga salaries, although they are not under the direct command of the Baghdad government.

Kurdish MP Aram Balti told Reuters they were satisfied with the budget after agreeing to pay Peshmerga salaries and public officials in the region.

Last year's budget cut the Kurdistan Regional Government's share of the 17 percent it has traditionally received since the fall of Saddam Hussein after a failed attempt to completely liberate the Kurds from Baghdad in October 2017.

There were skirmishes between deputies from the southern provinces with a Shiite majority on budgetary allocations.

The vote has been postponed for reasons including those disputes and confrontation between two Shiite-dominated political blocs that are still unable to agree on vacant ministerial posts.

MP Mohammed Tamim said that the approval of the budget will contribute to the stability of Iraq's economy and pave the way for the reconstruction of the country.


http://economy-news.net/content.php?id=15177

The House of Representatives votes on the federal budget law of 2019
January 24, 2019 January 24, 2019 1247 Views

The House of Representatives voted in its 28th session held under the chairmanship of Mr. Mohamed Halboussi, Speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, 23/1/2019, in the presence of 287 deputies, the Federal Budget Law of the Republic of Iraq for the fiscal year 2019.

At the beginning of the session, the Board voted against the approval of the appeals submitted by Ms. Amal Al Marai Hassan Al Bayati on the health of MP Jassim Hussein Mohammad Jabara, Mr. Bassim Khazal Khashan on the health of MP Refah Khudair Jiyat and Mr. Mohamed Farman on the health of MP Siham Abbas Ali, and Ms. Shaalan Abdul Jabbar al-Karim regarding the health of the membership of MP Ali al-Sjeri.

The President of the Council called upon the ladies and gentlemen of the appeals or those affected, to resort to the Federal Court.

Mr. Ali Jassem Mohammed Khalifa was sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives, replacing Mr. Abdul Hussein Abtan, who resigned.

On another matter, the Council voted on the draft federal budget law of the Republic of Iraq for fiscal year 2019.

The revenue of the federal budget for the year 2019 (one hundred and five trillion five hundred and sixty-nine billion six hundred and eighty-six million and eight hundred and seventy thousand dinars) and the calculation of revenues from the export of crude oil at a rate of $ 56 per barrel and an export rate of 38.8 million barrels per day.

The expenditure in the draft law included the allocation of one hundred and thirty-three trillion and one hundred and seven billion six hundred and sixteen million and four hundred and twelve thousand dinars, while the total deficit planned for the federal budget (twenty-seven trillion and five hundred and thirty-seven billion nine hundred and twenty-nine million and five hundred and forty-two thousand Dinar).

For his part, stressed the President of the House of Representatives on the importance of the legislation of the financial budget for the year 2019 for its role in achieving development and serve the people, and expressed thanks for the efforts made by the members of the Finance Committee through a series of intensive meetings to prepare the draft federal budget law and take the remarks of Ladies and Gentlemen MPs in addition to Coordination with the Office of the Prime Minister and various State institutions in this regard.

After that, the presidency of the Council postponed the vote on the completion of the government cab for the quorum.

President Halabousi decided not to agree to proceed with the completion of the cabinet cabin only in the presence of Mr. Adel Abdul Mahdi, Prime Minister to view the remaining ministers

Then decided to hold the meeting on Thursday 24/1/2019 after the end of the voting session on the budget law at two and a quarter am.

Department of Information

Iraqi Council of Representatives

24/1/2019


http://ar.parliament.iq/2019/01/24/مجلس-النواب-يصوت-على-قانون-الموازنة-ال/