KRG Rejects Baghdad Population Figure Over Budget Share

The Kurdistan Regional Government has rejected Baghdad’s population calculation and says the region’s share of the federal budget should reflect official census figures.

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KRG Rejects Baghdad’s Population Figure and Demands Larger Budget Share

The Kurdistan Regional Government has rejected a federal calculation placing the Kurdistan Region’s population share at 12.68 percent and has called for the figure to be reconsidered.

Following a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the KRG said the official census results give the Kurdistan Region a population proportion of around 14 percent.

The population figure is politically and financially significant because it is used in calculations concerning the distribution of Iraq’s federal budget.

According to the KRG, the lower figure could affect the region’s financial allocation as well as its representation within federal institutions. The regional government has instructed its Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Justice and Cabinet Secretariat to pursue legal and constitutional measures concerning the issue.

The disagreement is part of a much longer series of disputes between Baghdad and Erbil involving federal funding, public-sector salaries, oil and gas revenues and constitutional responsibilities.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also called on Thursday for permanent solutions to outstanding disputes with Baghdad, specifically mentioning budget allocations, salaries and oil and gas.

Further discussions between the federal government and the KRG are expected as Iraq prepares its future federal budget arrangements.