PUK insists on pre-KRG formation deal as talks remain stalled
Shafaq News – Erbil
No agreement has yet been reached on forming the new Kurdistan Regional Government, a senior Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) official said on Thursday, stressing that the party is not insisting on any specific ministry.
Saadi AhmedPira, a member of the PUK Political Bureau, told reporters that the process cannot move forward without clear agreements and strategic understandings on the next steps.
“If the Kurdistan Parliament convenes, the president takes the oath, and the largest bloc is tasked with forming the government without prior consensus, the PUK will not take part,” Pira warned, stressing that a clear agreement must precede any cabinet formation.
He underscored the need for “a genuine partnership,” saying the next government should focus on completing ongoing development projects and addressing unresolved disputes within the Kurdistan Region.
The PUK’s position comes after Kurdish leader and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Leader Masoud Barzani announced on October 18 that the new Kurdistan government would likely be formed before Iraq’s parliamentary elections.
After the October 2024 parliamentary elections, political deadlock brought the Kurdistan Region’s legislature to a standstill in early 2025. The newly elected parliament, where the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) secured 39 of 100 seats and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) won 23, convened briefly on December 3 but failed to elect a speaker or form a cabinet, leading to an indefinite suspension amid ongoing disputes between the two parties.
Read more: Six months of stalemate: Kurdistan’s government formation crisis deepens
