KRG Deputy PM: Parties ready for new cabinet agreement

Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

Kurdistan Region political forces are ready to reach a “real agreement” on forming the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Kurdish Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani stated on Saturday, after more than a year and a half of deadlock between the Region’s main parties.

Speaking at a press conference, Talabani called for strengthening the Region’s role within Iraq’s federal system, saying it should build stronger relations with Iraqi provinces and establish an effective partnership “from Basra to Zakho” to support stability, development, and cooperation across the country.

The next stage requires more joint work between Baghdad and Erbil to consolidate a genuine partnership and address unresolved files in a way that serves citizens across Iraq, he emphasized.

The Kurdistan Region’s tenth cabinet remains stalled despite the passage of more than 18 months since the October 2024 parliamentary elections. The vote left the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) with 39 seats and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 23 in the 100-seat parliament, forcing the two main Kurdish parties back into negotiations over power-sharing.

The PUK recently stated that it remained open to talks with the KDP and other political forces, while arguing that the main obstacle was not negotiations themselves but the willingness of parties to accept balance, coexistence, and mutual recognition. KDP official Pshtiwan Sadiq also said his party would resume discussions with Kurdish political forces following an initiative by party President Masoud Barzani aimed at advancing efforts to form the new cabinet.

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