PUK Lawmaker: Al-Zaidi Cabinet to Be Completed After Parliamentary Recess Ends

PUKMEDIA

PUK Lawmaker Harem Kamal Agha.

The leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc in the Iraqi Parliament has announced that Ali al-Zaidi’s cabinet will be completed following the end of the parliamentary recess. He also confirmed that an agreement has been reached regarding the transfer of public sector salaries to the Kurdistan Region, stressing that the arrangement must remain in place until the 2027 federal budget is approved.

During a press conference addressing several key political and economic issues concerning Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, PUK Lawmaker Harem Kamal Agha provided details regarding efforts to complete Ali al-Zaidi’s cabinet.

“Parliament is currently in recess and will resume its sessions after 1 July, at which point the remaining vacant ministerial positions will be filled,” he said.

The Iraqi parliament approved Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government programme in mid May and confirmed 14 out of 23 ministers. 

Commenting on the issue of salaries for employees in the Kurdistan Region, Agha stated that a negotiating team is continuing discussions aimed at resolving both the salary crisis and matters related to the ASYCUDA customs system.

He explained that previous discussions had focused on non-oil revenues, adding that an agreement had been reached requiring the transfer of 120 billion Iraqi dinars in non-oil revenues to the federal government, alongside the export of 230,000 barrels of oil per day.

“Therefore, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) must address this matter and avoid linking it to other issues,” he said.

Agha further noted that the regional government’s inability to provide the agreed 120 billion dinars raises serious questions, stressing that existing arrangements should continue until the federal budget is approved.

Regarding the federal budget, the leader of the PUK bloc stated that Iraq is not expected to approve a budget for 2026, adding that the next federal budget approval is likely to take place in 2027.



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