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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are expected to meet this week to discuss the formation of the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet, a KDP official announced Sunday, as the Region remains without a new government nearly two years after parliamentary elections.
“There is good rapprochement between the KDP and PUK,” Ali Hussein, head of the KDP’s organizational office in Sulaimani and Halabja, said at a press conference marking the 80th anniversary of the KDP’s founding.
“They have had meetings in the past period, and I do not think the next meeting will be delayed beyond this week,” he said, adding that the two parties have held undisclosed meetings in recent months.
The remarks come as the KDP and the PUK have been unable to agree on the formation of the KRG’s tenth cabinet, while the PUK has strengthened its position through an alliance with the New Generation Movement (NGM).
In a congratulatory message marking the anniversary on Sunday, Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) Secretary General Salahaddin Bahaaddin, urged the KDP to “reactivate the process of reconciliation and the functioning of legitimate national institutions,” in light of “difficult circumstances” facing the Region.
The PUK, meanwhile, congratulated the KDP on its anniversary and called for shared national and democratic goals as unified grounds for overcoming the current situation.
Hussein said the NGM approached the KDP last September to form a 50+1 government without the PUK, a proposal the KDP rejected, saying the KDP and PUK “complement each other” and that it was inappropriate to reach an agreement with NGM leader Shaswar Abdulwahid during his prison term.
Abdulwahid, jailed by Sulaimani security forces in mid-August last year and sentenced to five months over what was widely believed to be politically motivated charges, announced a proposal to form an alliance aimed at establishing the cabinet a day after he was released from prison. The proposal was immediately accepted by PUK leader Bafel Talabani.
The PUK and the NGM signed an alliance in July, resulting in a combined 38 seats in the parliament. The KDP has rejected treating them as a single bloc and has firmly maintained its resolve to negotiate with each party separately.
The Kurdistan parliament has remained inactive as the 10th KRG cabinet awaits formation nearly 22 months after the October 2024 parliamentary elections in which the KDP secured 39 seats, followed by the PUK with 23 and the NGM following close behind with 15.
The KDP and PUK have primarily disagreed over the distribution of senior government positions and governance structures, resulting in a prolonged political deadlock.
The KIU launched an initiative earlier this year to bring the rival parties together and help resolve the impasse. The efforts reportedly created a more positive atmosphere but have yet to produce a tangible agreement.
The KDP marked its 80th anniversary on Sunday. Founded in 1946, the party played a central role in the Kurdish political movement and jointly formed the first KRG cabinet with the PUK in 1992.
KDP leader President Masoud Barzani said Sunday that the party was established to “restore hope and strength” to the people of Kurdistan, while KDP First Deputy President Nechirvan Barzani called on the party to adapt to “modern developments” and advance institutional governance.
