Parliament approves 2010 budget

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Parliament has approved the controversial 2010 general budget by a majority vote. “The Parliament approved on Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 26) the 2010 budget after solving all disputed points,” MP from the Kurdistan Alliance (KA), Abdulmuhsen al-Saadon, told IraqiNews.com news agency. The 2010 budget has sparked a wide-scale political hubbub amidst parliamentary circles as some blocs linked its passing to the election conduction law that trims the government’s powers. Some political blocs, namely the Iraqi National Coalition, have linked the budget approval to the downgrading of special salaries by half. SH (P)/SR 2