ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A member of the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework in the Iraqi parliament on Friday said that passing the budget amendments during the upcoming session is unlikely, citing a large front of MPs from central and southern Iraq who object the bill.

The Iraqi parliament is set to vote on proposed amendments to the federal budget law during Sunday’s session, after completing the first reading of the bill in November. The passing of the bill could pave the way for the resumption of the Kurdistan Region’s oil exports, but the process has repeatedly faced opposition from lawmakers from central and southern Iraq.

Ali Ni’ma, a Coordination Framework MP, said that there is “difficulty” in the passing the amendments during Sunday’s session, citing political disagreements between the lawmakers over the content of the bill.

“There is a major parliamentary objection from MPs of the center and the south, as well as MPs from different blocs, to the amendment,” Ni’ma told The New Region on Friday, “and for this reason we rule out passing the amendment to the budget law during Sunday's session.”

The Shiite lawmaker claimed that passing the bill requires more deliberation in the parliament and the text needs to be studied further by the finance committee, before an agreement can be reached.

Chiyai Taimour, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) MP, claimed that the political parties in the ruling State Administration Coalition have reached an agreement to pass the amendments during Sunday’s session, but stressed that there are no guarantees.

“We hope everyone is committed to this amendment and votes on it and not obstruct it as happened in the previous sessions… There are not enough guarantees that the bill will be passed during Sunday’s session, as some political parties sometimes do not adhere to what they agree upon,” he added.

In a meeting with heads of the parliamentary blocs, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani stressed the need to pass the bill in its original text, without any changes.

The bill calls for amending section 2C of Article 12 of the Iraqi federal budget, which states that Baghdad will reimburse Erbil for the production and transportation cost of one barrel of oil at the average cost of production and transportation of the federal oil ministry – which is valued at $6.

The international oil companies (IOCs) have repeatedly stated that the value set out in the budget is way lower than their expenses. The amendments would set the cost of production and transportation of a barrel of oil at $16.

The Kurdistan Region’s oil exports have been halted since March 2023, dealing a major blow to Iraq and the Region's economy, with over $25 billion in lost revenue to date.