Shafaq News- Erbil

The relationship between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) remains strained over long-standing disputes on power-sharing within the Kurdistan Region, a senior KDP official told Shafaq News on Thursday.

Ari Harsin, head of the KDP’s Fourth Branch, described each party as the other’s main political rival, with the KDP positioned as the alternative for the PUK and vice versa.

Pointing to continuing delays in reaching a broader political understanding between the two leading Kurdish parties, he stressed that dialogue and mutual compromise are essential for any agreement. Harsin also referred to what he characterized as a dual administrative structure in the Kurdistan Region, warning against any political course that could lead to a formal split into two separate administrations.

Tensions between the KDP and PUK have effectively stalled the Kurdistan Region’s parliament since the October 2024 elections. The KDP secured 39 of the 100 seats, while the PUK won 23. Kurdish lawmakers briefly convened on December 3, but efforts to elect a speaker and form a cabinet collapsed, leaving parliamentary activity suspended indefinitely.

On relations with the federal government, Harsin stressed that the KDP has not boycotted Baghdad, adding that the recent summoning of its delegation should not be interpreted as a political boycott.

Earlier today, Chatham House, a UK-based think tank, observed that despite the Kurdistan Region’s strategic importance, intensifying rivalry between the KDP and PUK has gradually weakened institutional cohesion in Erbil. It further cautioned that unless political and institutional frameworks are strengthened, the current trajectory could deepen internal divisions and further complicate governance across the region.

Read more: Opinion: KDP, PUK, and the fracturing of Kurdish political partnership in Iraq