Economic expert Dirgham al-Haidari warned on Thursday that the 2026 budget could run into major problems that may stop it from being approved at all. He believes the next government may end up only paying salaries under the Financial Management Law, without passing a full budget.
Al-Haidari told the Information Agency that the biggest challenges come from not being able to accurately predict oil prices or export levels. He said political and security tensions in the region make these numbers too uncertain. He also pointed out that the government still doesn’t have a clear plan for how much non-oil revenue it can count on.
He added that the delay in forming the three presidencies and the next government will have a direct impact on preparing the 2026 budget. Because of all these issues, Al-Haidari expects the budget will not be approved, and the government will likely be limited to paying salaries and essential expenses only, based on the Financial Management Law.
