Following the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) October parliamentary elections, representatives of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have been working together to form the new government. Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, of the Erbil (Hewlêr)-based KDP, and Bafel Talabani, leader of the Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanî)-based PUK, have led the talks, holding a second face-to-face meeting on Sunday, which they described as successful.
“We discussed important strategic issues with Masrour Barzani. Our goal is to form a government that will serve our people, in the shortest possible time,” Talabani told reporters after the meeting.
Barzani, also addressing the press, said, “I hope that our groups will meet [again] in a short time and that our people will be satisfied with the progress made in the formation of a new government.” Later, in a post shared on X, Barzani noted that both parties had agreed to form a “strong, unified, and service-oriented government”.
According to PUK spokesperson Ehmed Pire, “ninety percent of contradictions” between the two parties have been solved by joint effort since October and negotiations are in their final stage.
In early February, the joint committee tasked with facilitating the government in the formation process reached a consensus on key topics, including parliamentary administration, financial affairs, relations with central Iraqi authorities in Baghdad, energy governance and the restructuring of the region’s security forces, known as the Peshmerga. However, the KDP and PUK were unable to agree on key leadership positions, causing delays.
