Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah
Nearly two years after voters in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) elected a new parliament, it still has no new government, as the two main parties remain deadlocked over how to share power.
The parliamentary election of October 20, 2024, gave no party a majority. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) won 39 seats and its longtime rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), 23, leaving neither with enough seats to govern alone and pushing the two dominant parties into prolonged power-sharing negotiations.
Both parties have spoken of progress at various stages of the talks. But a meeting on September 20 between Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the KDP and his deputy, Qubad Talabani of the PUK, ended without a final agreement on the new cabinet, PUK spokesman Karwan Gaznay said. Ten days later, Barzani himself told reporters that steps toward forming the government "have been delayed too long."
More Than Ministries
The dispute goes beyond which ministry each side gets, political analyst Kamran Mohammed told Shafaq News. At its core are disagreements over administrative, security and financial powers, and over the kind of partnership each side wants in the next government.
“Without a clear deal on how key institutions will be run, agreeing on ministers' names will not end the crisis,” Mohammed said, because the real dispute is over how decisions are made and responsibilities shared. “Talks with no announced timetable leave the institutions in limbo,” he added.
The PUK wants a genuine partnership, not just a share of cabinet posts, according to party member Sardar Ahmed. That means a say in decisions affecting how the KRI is run and citizens' rights, he said, warning that forming a government without clear agreement on powers would only carry “the same problems” into state institutions.
KDP member Dilovan Karim told Shafaq News that election results must form the basis of negotiations, and any deal must reflect how people voted while giving political forces a workable formula for taking part. “Reaching it requires settling the remaining issues away from public sparring in the media.”
Residents Wait
Away from the negotiating table, residents say their priorities are jobs, services, and infrastructure, not the division of posts. Not all the KRI’s problems stem from the delay, and some predate it, but the stalemate raises questions about whether its institutions can adopt and carry out a new government program.
"People don't follow party negotiations to find out who gets which ministry," Hemin Rasul told Shafaq News. They want a government that can deal with their daily problems and explain how it will improve services and create jobs, he said.
In Garmian, Rebin Jalal said elections give people hope for institutions that respond to their demands, but a crisis this long raises doubts about the point of political participation if nothing practical follows.
In Darbandikhan, Sarbast Nuri said the absence of clear deadlines for settling the disputes risks eroding public trust in the parties' ability to govern.
Masrour Barzani's current cabinet remains in office while negotiations continue. Qubad Talabani has said a new government could still be formed this autumn, while Iraq's Federal Supreme Court is due on October 26 to revisit a case challenging the prolonged delay.