Iraqi govt must be formed to pass a budget

'He said Iraq would not be able to resume that aid until a new budget was passed.

Some lawmakers called for an investigation into the shortage of money; others said they were not surprised to learn that the well was dry.

“It’s expected,” said Ayad al-Samarrai, a former speaker of Parliament. “When Parliament is delayed for all these months, it also stops monitoring the government and holding them accountable.”

Less than two weeks ago, Iraqi leaders announced a power-sharing deal to fold the country’s major ethnic and religious factions into a fragile unity government led by Mr. Maliki, a religious Shiite who took office in 2006 and presided over an ebb in bloodshed.

The latest delay seems to be centered on an obscure parliamentary question: When will President Jalal Talabani, whom Parliament re-elected on Nov. 11, formally ask Mr. Maliki to form a government?'