Lawmaker suggests extending legislative term for triennial budget approval

Raed al-Maliki, a member of the Iraqi parliamentary legal committee, on Monday, suggested that the current legislative term may be extended in order to approve the triennial federal budget bill.

Al-Maliki told Shafaq News Agency that “the remaining days of the current legislative session are insufficient for approving the general budget law; consequently, the Council of Representatives is obliged to extend the legislative term by one month until the law is ratified.”

“The first legislative term of the second legislative year will end on May 9th, after which the Parliament will enter a legislative recess for a month if the budget law is approved in the coming days.”

The Iraqi Council of Representatives has concluded both the first and second readings of the draft federal budget law for the Republic of Iraq, submitted by the government of Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, for the fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025.

On Tuesday (April 18th), a member parliamentary finance committee revealed that there are political disagreements over the draft state budget law, indicating that its passing “will not be easy.”