Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Bafel Jalal Talabani, began taking steps on Saturday to withdraw from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) following the election of the Kurdistan Region (KRI) parliament’s leadership.

A source familiar with the matter told Shafaq News that the PUK’s Government Council is overseeing the process, with senior party-affiliated officials expected not to return to their duties starting next week.

In a televised address after a meeting of the PUK’s Leadership Council, Talabani announced the party’s withdrawal from the KRG’s ninth cabinet, rejected the parliamentary session and its decisions, and called the current administration a caretaker government that had “failed” to fulfill its responsibilities.

PUK Positions Across KRG Institutions

The party holds dozens of senior posts across the KRG institutions, including the presidency, Council of Ministers, ministries, government agencies, and advisory bodies.

The most senior posts include those held by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani and KRI Vice President Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa, alongside five ministerial portfolios: Planning, held by Dara Rashid; Culture and Youth, headed by Hama Hama Saeed; Agriculture and Water Resources, led by Begard Talabani; Peshmerga Affairs, headed by Shoresh Ismail; and Higher Education and Scientific Research, led by Aram Hama Mina.

Other senior officials include Council of Ministers Secretary-General Amanj Raheem, Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency head Jabbar Mustafa Rasool, Tourism Board chief Zhwan Sabir, and Fahmi Burhan, head of the General Board for Kurdistani Areas Outside the KRI’s Administration.

The party also holds deputy ministerial positions through Shilan Arif at the Justice Ministry, Chato Salih at the Interior Ministry, Ahmed Mufti at the Natural Resources Ministry, Rahel Faridoon at the Health Ministry, Zainuddin Mawlud at the Endowments and Religious Affairs Ministry, and Ali Othman at the Trade and Industry Ministry. Daban Shadala serves as deputy head of the KRG’s Department of Foreign Relations.

Its administrative and advisory posts —including directors-general and their deputies— extend to the Finance Ministry’s customs, budget, taxation, and insurance departments; the Trade and Industry Ministry’s company registration department; dam and reservoir management; and institutions responsible for martyrs, Anfal victims, and political prisoners. The positions also include the Kurdistan Region’s electricity distribution director, Qarman Sulaiman.

Read more: Kurdistan’s 10th cabinet: Interlocking alliances and political differences