Kurdish and Sunni MPs boycotted the parliamentary session on Wednesday that was due to discuss the controversial budget and elections. Kurdish lawmakers released a number of demands they want to see addressed in the budget, including bringing the KRG’s share back up to 17 percent.
“The reservations are essential and important, and they have been sent to the Council of Ministers,” Salim al-Jabouri, speaker of the Iraqi parliament, said in a press conference on Wednesday.
The parliament did not meet quorum because of the boycott and the day’s session was postponed.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi took a hardline stance on the budget, saying on Tuesday that he will not allow parliament to increase the KRG’s share to be increased to 17 percent, up from the 12.6 percent provided in the draft budget bill.
Jabouri, however, said the budget must be reached by agreement. “This is not an issue of institutions, but rather a national issue. It requires agreement,” he said.
The Sunni and Kurdish MPs said they would attend parliament on Thursday on the condition that the topics of the budget and elections are not touched upon.
When asked whether the parliament was hampering the job of the executive branch on purpose, Jabouri said this was not the case and that the observations by the Kurdish MPs have to be taken into consideration.
The heads of the factions have agreed to discuss the issues with Abadi himself and the Council of Ministers, Jabouri said.
The Kurdish and Sunni MPs also raised objections about the process of provincial elections in the disputed province of Kirkuk.
Sunnis are concerned about elections taking place despite large numbers of civilians still displaced. They want to see elections delayed until the situation is normalized in areas affected by war, the majority of which are Sunni.
The Kurdish MPs have raised concerns about power-sharing in the disputed province where provincial elections have not been held for over a decade.
“There is no intention to delay the elections, but some preconditions and necessary steps have to be taken for it to take place on time,” said Jabouri.
The Independent High Electoral Commission is invited to the parliament for Thursday’s meeting to take part in discussions about when elections can take place and what conditions need to be met.
The office of Abadi has previously announced that parliamentary elections will be on May 12, 2018.
Jabouri said the parliament will also discuss Kurdistan’s independence referendum.
"We have received a document concerning the annulment of the referendum. If all the parties agree to declare that the referendum is invalid, the situation will be normalized again," he said.
He added that he believes Abadi’s figures with respect to the KRG’s revenues may be right. Abadi said on Tuesday that the KRG earns more than enough to pay its employees.
The KRG has disputed Abadi’s numbers, and promised to release official figures, including an audit on the oil and gas sector by Deloitte. The regional government maintains its income has been slashed by about half since losing Kirkuk’s oil fields to Iraq.
A delegation from KRG is set to meet with Iraqi officials in Baghdad on Thursday. Jabouri said these meetings at the technical level are a good first step.
