Iraq Moves To Results-Based Budgeting In 2027

2026-08-14 / 05:03 Shafaq News- Baghdad For two years, Iraq has run without a national budget. Salaries and essential spending have been covered month to month under a stopgap rule that releases one-twelfth of the previous budget at a time, while political deadlock, regional conflict, and swings in oil prices kept a full budget out of reach.

Parliament passed a three-year law covering 2023 to 2025 but never approved the final year's spending, and no budget was passed for 2026 at all.

That is the backdrop to a change the government of Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi now says will reshape how the country spends its money. Starting with the 2027 federal budget, Iraq will adopt what is known as program and performance budgeting, a system that ties funding to specific programs and measurable results rather than to the raw size of allocations.

In plain terms, ministries will be funded for what they are meant to achieve, not simply for what they spent last year. The Cabinet approved the framework at its June 2 session, working with the World Bank, and has presented it as a way to curb waste, tighten oversight of public money, and lift more revenue from sources other than oil.

The shift will arrive in stages. MP Hussein Al-Darraji, a member of the parliamentary Finance Committee, told Shafaq News that in 2027 the new system applies to a single ministry, Electricity, and two provinces, Al-Diwaniyah and Saladin. The 2028 budget widens it to five ministries and five more provinces,, before later budgets extend it across the rest of the state.

The 2027 budget is also significant simply for existing. It is the first full spending plan Iraq will have drafted in two years. Mudhir Mohammed Saleh, the financial adviser to the prime minister, told Shafaq News that the Finance Ministry expects to complete the draft law by September, after which it moves through the Ministerial Council for the Economy and the Council of Ministers before reaching parliament, where a budget must ultimately be approved. Saleh said it is still too early to put a figure on the budget's total size, which will not be fixed until the draft is finished.

A 2026 budget, by contrast, is no longer expected. With the year already half gone, the government concluded there was little point in approving one and turned its attention to 2027 instead.

https://www.shafaq.com/en/Economy/Iraq-moves-to-results-based-budgeting-in-2027

Parliamentary Finance Committee: The Ministry Of Finance Has Begun Preparing The 2027 Budget.

Baghdad - WAA - Wissam Al-Mulla The parliamentary finance committee confirmed on Friday that the Ministry of Finance has begun preparing the 2027 budget, while noting that the grants and borrowing law will be presented to parliament next week.

Committee member Ikhlas Al-Dulaimi told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “During the committee’s visit to the Prime Minister, several issues were agreed upon, including the agreement to send the 2027 budget.

” She noted that “the Finance Committee has taken upon itself the legislation of the Grants and Borrowing Law, and an agreement was reached with the government to approve it, and the first reading will take place next week.”

She added that "the Ministry of Finance is directly involved in preparing the 2027 budget, and has prepared the budget strategy and involved the Finance Committee, a number of ministries and representatives of the region, in order to send it to the committee."

She continued, "There is an agreement between the Prime Minister and the Finance Committee that there should be a budget and that it should be passed in the House of Representatives as quickly as possible, given that the country's situation requires a budget in order to achieve financial stability, which will determine the exchange rate, the price of a barrel, export mechanisms, and how to operate."

Regarding the confirmation of contracts, Al-Dulaimi explained: "We did not discuss the contracts with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance, but the financial situation is difficult due to the lack of oil exports, so we expect that the state will not get involved in the details of the financial aspects."

The member of the Finance Committee explained that "according to what is included in the Financial Management Law, the budget must reach Parliament on 10/15 of this month for its approval for next year," clarifying that "we hope to resolve the crisis of promotions and allowances in the budget." https://ina.iq/ar/political/270833-2027.html

The Ministry Of Finance Has Begun Preparing The 2027 Budget; An Agreement Has Been Reached To Pass It In Parliament As Quickly As Possible

Money and Business Economy News - Baghdad The parliamentary finance committee confirmed on Friday that the Ministry of Finance has begun preparing the 2027 budget, while noting that the grants and borrowing law will be presented to parliament next week.

Committee member Ikhlas Al-Dulaimi said, "During the committee's visit to the Prime Minister, several issues were agreed upon, including the agreement to send the 2027 budget." She noted that "the Finance Committee has taken upon itself the legislation of the Grants and Borrowing Law, and an agreement was reached with the government to approve it, and the first reading will take place next week."

She added that "the Ministry of Finance is directly involved in preparing the 2027 budget, and has prepared the budget strategy and involved the Finance Committee, a number of ministries and representatives of the region, in order to send it to the committee."

She continued, "There is an agreement between the Prime Minister and the Finance Committee that there should be a budget and that it should be passed in the House of Representatives as quickly as possible, given that the country's situation requires a budget in order to achieve financial stability, which will determine the exchange rate, the price of a barrel, export mechanisms, and how to operate."

Regarding the confirmation of contracts, Al-Dulaimi explained: "We did not discuss the contracts with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance, but the financial situation is difficult due to the lack of oil exports, so we expect that the state will not get involved in the details of the financial aspects."

The member of the Finance Committee explained that "according to what is included in the Financial Management Law, the budget must reach Parliament on 10/15 of this month for its approval for next year," clarifying that "we hope to resolve the crisis of promotions and allowances in the budget."https://www.economy-news.net/content.php?id=72586

From Guardian Of The Dinar To Financier Of The Deficit? Ziad Al-Hashemi Warns Of The Depletion Of The Central Bank's Reserves To Cover Government Spending And A Cost The Economy May Later Pay.

Baghdad - One News Economic expert Ziad al-Hashemi warned of the repercussions of resorting to the reserves of the Central Bank of Iraq to cover the financial requirements of the government, calling on the bank to announce an official and clear position on the increasing proposals regarding the use of its foreign reserves and available liquidity in dinars to finance salaries and public spending.

Al-Hashemi said in a post on the “X” platform that the Central Bank has become the “present absentee” in discussions related to the financial crisis, even though part of the proposed solutions revolves around its dollar reserves and the liquidity it possesses in dinars.

He pointed out that talk of passing a law to borrow, coinciding with the rise in official and parliamentary statements regarding the adequacy of the central bank’s reserves to meet the government’s financial requirements, necessitates a clear position from the bank that specifies the available capabilities and the legal restrictions that govern their use.

Al-Hashemi called on the Central Bank to take the initiative and clarify the limits of its independence and responsibilities, and to respond to what he described as “misconceptions” regarding the possibility of using foreign reserves or available liquidity to finance salaries and government expenditures.

He demanded that the bank answer directly regarding the extent to which foreign reserves and dinar liquidity can be used to finance government spending, the limits of government financing through transfers and bonds, as well as the size of the pressures that the bank’s budget can withstand without affecting its ability to manage monetary stability.

Al-Hashemi considered that the Central Bank’s continued silence regarding these proposals raises questions about its ability to defend its independence, warning that this could lead to the depletion of the monetary institution’s remaining reserves to meet government spending needs.

He stressed that the issue is not only about the central bank's ability to provide dinars to the government at present, but also about the future economic cost, warning against monetary policy becoming a permanent tool for financing public spending instead of fulfilling its primary function of protecting currency and economic stability.

https://1news-iq.net/من-حارس-للدينار-إلى-ممول-للعجز؟-زياد-ا/

From Restricting Weapons To "Operation Dawn"... Al-Zaidi's Government Concludes Its First 100 Days With A Restructuring Of The Security Establishment, Rare Cooperation With The Judiciary, And Foreign Outreach To Washington And The Gulf

latest news Friday, August 14, 2026 Baghdad - One News - With the first hundred days of Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi’s government, the most prominent issues during the first phase of its work were limiting weapons to the state, combating corruption, reorganizing military and security institutions, and moving to reformulate Iraq’s foreign relations.

In the security file, the government focused on establishing the principle of restricting weapons to the state and ending the manifestations of weapons outside official institutions, through political and security moves aimed at unifying the military decision under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, in parallel with setting September 30 as the date for resolving this file.

During the same period, the security and military establishment witnessed structural and organizational changes, including the reorganization of the work of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the merging of a number of offices and leadership departments into a unified structure, as well as changes in a number of field and intelligence positions.

In the fight against corruption, Operation Dawn Strike emerged as one of the most prominent steps taken by the government during its first 100 days, in coordination with the Supreme Judicial Council headed by Judge Faiq Zaidan. On June 28, a broad campaign was launched targeting officials and figures accused of financial and administrative corruption.

The investigations within the campaign have expanded to include dozens of officials and political and administrative figures, while the procedures have extended to more than two hundred former and current officials, in an indication of the wide scope of the files being opened and reviewed.

On the level of foreign relations, al-Zaidi’s visit to the United States in July constituted a major milestone in the government’s move, as the talks focused on the future of the security relationship between Baghdad and Washington, and ending the military mission of the international coalition by September 30.

In parallel with the American approach, the Al-Zaidi government moved to expand its relations with the Arab Gulf states, as part of a trend to rebuild balance in Iraqi foreign policy and expand political, security and economic partnerships with the regional environment.

The results of the first 100 days reflect the government's focus on three main tracks: controlling weapons and security decisions within state institutions, combating corruption in cooperation with the judiciary, and rearranging foreign relations in line with Baghdad's priorities in the next phase.

As the September 30th deadline approaches, the most prominent tests that will determine the course of the next phase of al-Zaidi's government remain the issues of weapons control, the completion of the restructuring of security institutions, the results of the anti-corruption campaign, and the government's ability to translate its foreign policy into stable partnerships.

#OneNews#The_First_News_Platform_in_Iraq https://1news-iq.net/من-حصر-السلاح-إلى-صولة-الفجر-حكومة-ا/

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