However, the other four parties that voted in favor of the budget tend to believe that dealing with Baghdad to export oil through SOMO would be a solution to pay the employees’ salaries, without giving much attention to political or economic independence, which reflects a lack of trust between them and the KDP.
After voting on the budget, Aram Sheikh Mohammed, the deputy parliament speaker, along with the four Kurdish blocs praised the changes in the final version of the budget and the gains they achieved in the budget, describing them as a major accomplishment that serves the Kurds and ensures the salaries of employees and the peshmerga forces.
However, KDP members noted that the budget was unacceptable and harms the Kurds’ interests. In the same context, the KRG announced its rejection of the proposal submitted by the four blocs, noting that it will not abide by the budget’s provisions because it does not serve the people of the KRG.
After this long tug-of-war, the KRG’s presidency issued a statement Dec. 8 calling on the Kurdish blocs in Baghdad to meet with the KRG premiership in order to discuss this issue, noting that “the paragraph about the peshmerga [allocations of their salaries] was vague, and this whole issue should be thoroughly studied in order to serve the people of the KRG.”
But will these blocs respond to the call of the KRG presidency, as they do not recognize the legitimacy of the KRG president to begin with? Is the atmosphere in Baghdad creating more tension among Kurds in the KRG?
Al-Monitor contacted Mohammed Ali, the head of the Movement for Change’s political division, and asked him about the likeliness of the meeting being held. Ali questioned the seriousness of the call and said, “First, had the KDP been keen on the Kurdish unity, they would not have abandoned Baghdad. Second, before calling for a meeting, the KRG government rejected the budget when they should have taken a step back. Amid this negative atmosphere, I do not see any suitable platform for the meeting.”
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