KDP and PUK agree to form joint committee for Kurdistan Region's governance program

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) agreed to form a joint committee to draft a governance program for the next phase in the Kurdistan Region.

A joint statement, issued after a meeting between the two parties at the KDP's Political Bureau in Erbil, confirmed that the discussions focused on regional developments and their impact on Iraq and the Region. “Both sides agreed on unity and a coordinated stance in protecting the higher interests of the Kurdistan Region during this sensitive period.”

Earlier today, the two main parties in the Kurdistan Region held their second meeting to discuss the formation of the new KRG following the October parliamentary elections. The PUK delegation was led by Qubad Talabani, while the KDP delegation was headed by Hoshyar Zebari. This follows their initial meeting in Al-Sulaymaniyah in November.

“The meeting also discussed the formation of the new Regional Government (KRG), focusing on actions to ensure its success and the preparation of a joint program outlining governance principles for the upcoming phase. The program will be designed to protect the Kurdistan Region’s stability, as well as the rights and interests of all citizens and communities,” the statement read.

In this regard, it was decided that a joint committee would prepare the draft program for the next meeting.

Notably, he KDP emerged as the largest party in the October parliamentary elections, securing 39 seats out of 100 with 809,197 votes, while the PUK followed with 23 seats from 408,141 votes.