A member of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Mu’in al-Kadhimi, said the federal budget for 2026 will likely not be approved until the second half of next year. Until then, the government will continue spending under the 1/12 system.
Speaking to dinaropinions.com, al-Kadhimi explained that passing the 2026 budget will be one of the new government’s top priorities, but delays are expected. “The vote on the budget may not happen until the middle of next year,” he said.
He pointed out that several steps slow the process down. First, the new government has to be fully formed. Then the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning must prepare the budget and submit it to the Council of Ministers. After approval there, it still needs to go to Parliament for a vote.
Al-Kadhimi also noted that the 2026 budget will cover just one year, unlike the previous three-year budget. For the first six months of 2026, the government will spend based on one-twelfth of the previous year’s budget each month. Once the new budget is approved, it will be applied for the rest of the year.
