Shafaq News- Erbil

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on Wednesday denied reaching an agreement with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Iraq’s presidency following a leadership meeting in Erbil, despite “positive” talks.

PUK spokesperson Karwan Gaznay told Shafaq News that no deal was finalized, but “any agreement will be formally announced.”

A KDP source earlier told our agency that a decision on the Kurdish nominee for Iraq’s presidency was postponed until Sunday, rejecting reports that Nizar Amedi, PUK’s candidate, had been agreed upon. The KDP has nominated Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein for the post.

Under Iraq’s constitution, parliament must elect the president with a two-thirds quorum in the first round. However, lawmakers omitted the presidential vote from February 9 and 11 session agendas, even after the 30-day constitutional deadline –calculated from parliament’s first session on December 29, 2025– expired on January 28, mostly due to disputes between the KDP and PUK.

The presidency has traditionally been held by a Kurdish figure under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing system.

Read more: Iraq slips into constitutional vacuum as presidential deadlock drags on