The Kurdistan Regional Council of Ministers, chaired by Masrour Barzani, met and reiterated that the Region’s share of the budget 2027 must be based on 14.14% of the population, while also calling on the federal government not to put the draft budget to a vote in its current form.
Today, Wednesday, 28 Tishrini Yakameni 2026, the Kurdistan Regional Council of Ministers, chaired by Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, convened.
At the first item of the meeting, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s negotiating delegation presented the outcome of its latest meeting and discussions with the Federal Ministry of Finance regarding Article (10) of the draft federal general budget law for the year 2027.
Discussions were also held on the visit of the senior delegation of the federal government, headed by the Federal Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and accompanied by the ministers of oil and electricity, to the Kurdistan Region, as well as the outcome of their discussions regarding the oil and energy files within the framework of the draft federal budget law.
Following discussions and a review of the outcomes of the meetings, the Council of Ministers reiterated that the Kurdistan Region is a constitutional and federal entity, and that its rights, powers and financial entitlements are protected by the Constitution. Therefore, the federal general budget must be prepared on the basis of the Constitution, justice and genuine partnership, rather than through unilateral decisions and procedures by the federal government.
The Council of Ministers stressed that the Kurdistan Region’s budget share must be determined on the basis of (14.14%) of the population and according to the results of the latest general census, and that all the Region’s financial rights and entitlements must be guaranteed.
The Council of Ministers tasked the Kurdistan Regional Government’s negotiating delegation with clarifying the unconstitutionality and inaccuracies of the provisions and tables in the draft 2027 budget, prepared by the Federal Ministry of Finance, which violate the Region’s rights and entitlements, and with submitting them, along with the Region’s alternative proposals and all constitutional, legal and financial documents, to the federal authorities and the political parties forming the federal cabinet, for the draft to be reviewed and corrected.
The Kurdistan Regional Council of Ministers also called on the Federal Council of Ministers not to allow the draft federal general budget bill to be submitted for discussion and voting in its current form before the necessary detailed review is conducted and the Region’s constitutional and financial rights and entitlements are guaranteed in it.
The Council of Ministers stressed that the Kurdistan Region expects the 2027 budget bill, during the term of the federal government cabinet headed by Ali Zaydi, to become an opportunity to reach a fundamental and constitutional solution to the outstanding financial issues between the two governments, rather than allowing the same issues and disputes to recur in the coming year instead of resolving the problems of previous years.
The Council of Ministers reaffirmed that the Regional Government is committed to implementing all its constitutional and legal duties, but at the same time insists on guaranteeing the rights and entitlements of the Region and its citizens and will not relinquish those rights.
The Council of Ministers also stressed that the Regional Government has clearly and transparently made all relevant information and data available to the Federal Government, and that joint monthly and quarterly scrutiny and review continue to be conducted through the constitutional institutions of both governments. Therefore, decisions and unilateral conditions cannot be imposed in the budget based on baseless and unsupported information and claims.
In conclusion, the Council of Ministers reaffirmed its support for the negotiating delegation and stressed the continuation of dialogue with the Federal Government to reach a fair agreement that protects the constitutional rights and financial entitlements of the Kurdistan Region and strengthens the foundations of federal partnership.
