KDP dismisses ‘seat-buying’ accusations, hints at fresh elections

Shafaq News - Al-Sulaymaniyah

On Monday, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) rejected accusations of “seat buying,” warning that failure to form the Kurdish tenth government could force a return to the polls.

Speaking to Shafaq News, Ali Hussein, head of the KDP’s organizational office in Al-Sulaymaniyah and Halabja, dismissed the allegations as “baseless and contrary to reality," adding that the post–Iraqi election landscape has created conditions that may help Kurdish parties reach an understanding.

He confirmed that the KDP remains in contact with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and other forces.

The political deadlock that followed the 2021 Kurdistan parliamentary elections prevented the formation of a new Kurdish government, as disagreements between the KDP and PUK over parliament’s legitimacy, seat distribution, and the selection of the speaker halted cabinet-formation efforts and left the outgoing government in a caretaker role.

Read more: Kurdistan deadlock: KDP, PUK to hold evening talks on government deal