Sudani Govt Sends Budget Payments To Kurds To Keep Ruling Coalition Together

(Reuters)

The Sudani government decided to send around 400 billion dinars to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). This was despite a Supreme Court ruling that Baghdad could not transfer any money to the regional government.

 

In January Iraq’s Supreme Court struck down budget payments to the KRG. This reversed PM Kazemi’s decision to send funds to the KRG each month to secure Kurdish support for his government. The lawsuit was brought by a parliamentarian aligned with the Coordination Framework. Members of the Framework have been attacking the Kurds over their independent oil policy and not following the last several budgets over exporting oil for the central government. They demanded that the KRG comply with its budget obligations before it got any more money.

 

This caused problems for Premier Sudani who needs Kurdish support to stay in office. As part of the deal to form the new government the Framework agreed to resolve the budget and oil disputes with the KRG. Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani threatened to withdraw support from Sudani if those promises were not followed through with. These complaints had been building up eventually leading Sudani to send money to Kurdistan.

 

The conflict over budget payments to the KRG shows how divided the Framework is. It is a large coalition of different forces with different agendas. People like Nuri al-Maliki and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq have been in the forefront of criticizing the Kurds while other figures like former Prime Minister Abadi and Ammar Hakim being more accommodating. That will continue to pull the list and the government it controls in different directions.

 

SOURCES

 

Al Aalem, “The government circumvents the law .. What is the secret of its insistence on sending 400 billion dinars to Irbil?” 3/9/23

- “The State Administration list is threatened with collapse .. Has the Framework set a trap for the Sovereignty Alliance and democracy?” 3/1/23

 

Abdul-Zahra, Qassim and Sewell, Abby, “Iraq’s Kurdish region warns against ‘unlawful’ stops to funds,” Associated Press, 1/26/23

 

Kurdistan 24, “Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court ‘used’ to jeopardize Erbil-Baghdad agreements, says PM Barzani,” 2/1/23

 

Al Mada, “The Sunni dispute strikes the Framework’s arrangements and fears of the disintegration of the State Administration bloc before elections,” 2/21/23

 

Van Heuvelen, Ben, “Iraqi court strikes down Kurdistan budget transfers,” Iraq Oil Report, 1/26/23