Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Prime Minister Pushes Plan to Cut Kurdistan’s Budget Share

Nov 8, 2017 | Mina Aldroubi, The National
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The Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi defended a proposal to cut Iraqi Kurdistan's share in next year’s budget from 17 per cent to less than 13 per cent in the latest tensions between the central and regional government. The deteriorating relationship between Baghdad and Erbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, took a new turn when the Iraqi Kurdish region decided to hold an independence referendum in September. The vote was deemed illegal and unconstitutional by Baghdad, which launched a military operation to recapture the disputed of Kirkuk and the surrounding oil fields.