ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi arrived in Erbil on Thursday, holding talks with Kurdish leaders on the 2027 federal budget weeks before the Iraqi government is expected to submit the bill to the legislature.
Leading a high-level parliamentary delegation, Halbousi met with President Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). He also held separate meetings with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.
“The importance of resolving the issues between Erbil and Baghdad in accordance with the constitution, ensuring the rights and financial entitlements of all components, and addressing the issue of the Kurdistan Region's budget, along with the latest regional developments and their implications, were other topics discussed during the meeting,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency following Nechirvan Barzani’s meeting with Halbousi.
Talks over the draft 2027 federal budget have intensified in recent days.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has demanded that its share of Iraq’s 2027 federal budget reflect the results of the 2025 census, a well-placed source at the regional finance ministry told Rudaw English on Thursday.
A KRG delegation has been holding talks with Iraqi officials in Baghdad over the budget in recent days.
Halbousi’s meeting with Prime Minister Barzani also focused on preparations for the federal budget.
“Another topic of the meeting focused on the preparations for drafting the 2027 Federal General Budget bill. In this regard, the parliament speaker provided assurances that the budget will be prepared on a fair basis, ensuring the safeguarding of the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region and all other components,” read a statement from the KRG.
Baghdad passed a three-year federal budget law in 2022. Under previous federal budget arrangements, the KRG’s share was set at roughly 12.5 percent after sovereign expenditures, including defense and foreign affairs, were deducted.
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