Shafaq News – Erbil

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) formed two separate negotiating delegations, one to engage in talks over Iraq’s next federal government in Baghdad and another to focus on the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a KDP official said.

Majid Shenkali, a KDP lawmaker, told Shafaq News on Monday that one of the party’s delegations is expected to visit Baghdad soon, ahead of the first session of the newly elected Iraqi parliament on December 29, to discuss political entitlements linked to the formation of the next federal government.

He said the outcome of the vote to elect the speaker of parliament and the two deputy speakers would play a key role in shaping the process of selecting the next prime minister, noting that political blocs securing positions within the parliamentary leadership do not necessarily enjoy the same leverage when competing to form the government.

Read more: Into 2026, Baghdad and Erbil face the same disputes—with higher stakes

Power-sharing disputes between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), also included disagreements over the presidency. Under Iraq’s post-2003 political system, the presidency is traditionally held by a Kurdish figure and elected by parliament, making inter-Kurdish consensus a critical step in moving the broader government formation process forward.

Read more: Stronger at the ballot box, weaker at the table: Kurdistan enters 2026 talks divided