Baghdad: Members of the Parliamentary Finance Committee have unveiled new reasons behind the delay in sending the federal budget tables from the government to the House of Representatives, indicating that the documents are still with the Council of Ministers amid signs of a lack of intent to submit them soon.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, committee member MP Faisal Al-Naeli revealed that the Minister of Finance informed the committee during a joint meeting that the budget tables are still with the Prime Minister’s Office. The finance ministry currently has no knowledge of when, or if, they will eventually be sent to Parliament.

Al-Naeli further expressed skepticism about the prompt submission of the budget tables, emphasizing the need for transparency with the Iraqi populace. He stated, “I don’t expect the budget tables to be submitted anytime soon. The Iraqi people and various social segments awaiting the budget’s approval to meet their needs and receive their dues must be told the truth.”

In a similar vein, fellow committee member MP Mohammed Nouri shared insights from their meeting with the Minister of Finance, highlighting numerous official correspondences sent to the Prime Minister requesting the budget tables. Despite these efforts, the documents have yet to reach Parliament.

Nouri underscored that many critical needs remain pending due to the delay, including funding for stalled projects, confirmations for contract employees, financial annexes, and allocations for meter readers. He noted that there appears to be no clear intention from the Prime Minister to send the tables, attributing this inertia partly to the upcoming elections and political pressures.