BAGHDAD: Iraq’s Parliament on Saturday approved a long-delayed budget, in a vote boycotted by Kurdish lawmakers due to their region’s diminished allocation.
The $88 billion budget cut the share of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government to 12.67 percent, down from 17 percent previously, Reuters reported.
“We boycotted the vote and there are proposals for Kurdistan to withdraw from the entire political process in Iraq over the unfair treatment we have received,” Kurdish MP Ashwaq Jaff was reported as saying.
Hussam Al-Eqabi, a member of the parliamentary Finance Committee, told Arab News that the budget means that the government now “has a legal base to cover the expenses of its work.”
“We had no other choice but voting (on the budget). It is a very important law … the consequences of spending money without law is very dangerous,” he told Arab News.
Parliament was meant to pass the budget before the start of the 2018 financial year in January.
But the country’s three main blocs had serious issues with the government’s proposal.
In a press conference held after immediately after Parliament's approval of the budget, Kurdish lawmakers called on the “Kurdish leadership” to boycott the political process in Baghdad.
“The withdrawal and return to Erbil is the solution and the leadership of the region has to take that position,” Adel Nuri, a Kurdish lawmaker, told reporters. “Only, in this case Baghdad will step down and the international community will intervene.”
The Kurds overwhelmingly voted to secede from the rest of Iraq in an independence referendum in September, which was opposed by Baghdad.
Iraqi Parliament approves budget amid Kurdish boycott
Iraqi Parliament approves budget amid Kurdish boycott
President Abbas hopes 2026 brings progress on Palestinian statehood
- Leader endorses Gaza committee, cites positive indications from US administration to resolving cause
RAMALLAH: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that Palestine is determined to continue its efforts with US President Donald Trump and other relevant partners.
He expressed hope that 2026 will witness progress toward resolving the Palestinian cause, citing positive indications from the US administration.
He was speaking during a ceremony marking his receipt of an honorary doctorate from the Arab American University in Ramallah.
Abbas said the state of Palestine has announced its support for the formation of the Palestinian Administrative Committee in the Gaza Strip during the transitional phase.
He expressed appreciation for the efforts of Trump and mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye, and for moving toward the implementation of the second phase of Trump’s plan.
Abbas reaffirmed the importance of linking the institutions of the PA in the West Bank and Gaza, stressing the need to avoid creating parallel administrative, legal, or security systems that would entrench division.
He outlined his political vision based on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and return, and the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace and security with its neighbors.
The president said the Palestinian state would be democratic, based on equal citizenship, political pluralism, freedom of expression, the formation of political parties, the rule of law, good governance, human rights, integrity, and equality.
Abbas stressed that direct legislative and presidential elections are the foundation of democratic governance and the only path to the peaceful transfer of power under the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and the empowerment of women and youth.
He noted that work is underway to draft a temporary constitution and a political parties law in preparation for the upcoming elections.
Abbas affirmed that the Palestinian state remains committed to international law and the agreements and treaties signed with other states and international organizations.
The president reiterated that peaceful popular resistance, alongside political, diplomatic, and legal action, remains the strategic choice to end the occupation.
He said the Palestinian people continue to safeguard their presence, history, identity, and national memory despite immense challenges, adding that despite the catastrophe caused by the war in Gaza, they remain determined to rebuild the enclave and what has been destroyed across the West Bank.
Abbas also voiced confidence in Palestinian universities, saying they will not only transmit knowledge but also advance it through investment in scientific research and partnerships with the private sector and the state, emphasizing that science and technology are key drivers of national progress.
He stressed that it is time for the Palestinian people to write their own complete history, present their authentic narrative, and decisively refute false and distorted accounts that seek to misrepresent the reality and history of the Palestinian people.
