Iraqi parliament finds more than 1,800 stalled projects across Baghdad and provinces

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's parliamentary Services and Reconstruction Commission has identified more than 1,800 incomplete projects nationwide, including over 600 in Baghdad and more than 1,200 in other provinces, commission member Mohammed Khalil said. Khalil attributed the delays to late approval of annual budgets and insufficient investment allocations, calling for increased funding tailored to infrastructure needs and prioritization of electricity, water, sewage and road projects. Khalil also said large sums allocated to the health sector have not been properly spent, urging stronger oversight to complete hospital construction. The commission has called for expanded parliamentary monitoring of stalled projects in health, electricity, water, sewage, roads and bridges. The findings come as Iraq's fiscal management faces procedural strain. The 2025 budget could not be implemented as updated because its schedules were not approved by parliament before the fiscal year ended, pushing the Finance Ministry onto a 1/12 temporary spending mechanism to cover salaries and obligatory expenses. The 2026 budget remains unapproved, with officials citing political obstacles and regional developments, leaving Iraq to continue operating expenditures through temporary measures until a new federal budget is passed.