Kurdish rivals back at table for Erbil, Baghdad cabinets
Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) resumed political talks on Wednesday to accelerate the formation of new governments in both Erbil and Baghdad.
In the Kurdistan Region, a KDP delegation held discussions with the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) on potential alliances at the Kurdish and federal levels, while KIU sources confirmed to Shafaq News plans to meet the Kurdistan Justice Group later in the day.
Separately, senior PUK officials Serkaut Zeki and Yousif Goran hosted a KIU delegation in Al-Sulaymaniyah to review a KIU initiative aimed at convening all Kurdish parties that won seats in Iraq’s recent parliamentary elections.
Talks focused on strengthening Kurdish coordination and presenting a unified stance in Baghdad, with both sides emphasizing the urgency of cooperation to protect Kurdish interests and tackle looming political and economic challenges.
PUK and KIU representatives agreed to continue dialogue in the coming weeks, aligning with ongoing efforts to draft a joint Kurdish document outlining key demands for participation in Iraq’s next federal cabinet.
Read more: Can a Kurdish framework emerge? Iraq’s new political alignments test the Kurdish house
KIU official Mustafa Abdullah earlier confirmed that the proposal had been delivered to all major Kurdish factions to consolidate their influence in the new federal government and parliament.
In Iraq’s November 11 vote, Kurdish parties claimed 56 seats, with the KDP leading at 28 seats and the PUK securing 15.
In the Kurdistan Region’s October 2024 election, the KDP won 39 out of 100 seats, and the PUK captured 23, yet no government has been formed amid a year-long political impasse. Although parliament convened briefly in December 2024, it failed to elect a speaker or move forward with cabinet formation, with the KDP accusing the PUK of delaying negotiations until after the federal elections despite offering what it described as a fair power-sharing arrangement.
Read more: Six months of stalemate: Kurdistan’s government formation crisis deepens
