ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) official said Saturday that political tensions with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) are easing, raising hopes that prolonged talks over the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) 10th cabinet could yield an agreement.
Saadi Ahmed Pira, a member of the PUK Political Bureau, said discussions between senior delegations from the two parties, as well as talks between the KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and his deputy Qubad Talabani, who is also a senior PUK politician, had helped create a more conducive atmosphere for rapprochement.
“As a result of the ongoing discussions - those talks between the high-level delegations of both sides, between the Prime Minister and his deputy, and by sincere individuals who are eager for a rapprochement between the parties - the ice is now melting somewhat,” Pira said at a press conference.
“We hope that in the near future these talks will yield results, lead to a summit meeting, and put an end to this [crisis],” he added.
The ruling KDP and PUK have been locked in negotiations over the formation of the next KRG government since the October 2024 parliamentary election, which left neither party with enough seats to form a government alone. The KDP won 39 seats, while the PUK secured 23 in the 100-seat parliament.
The prolonged deadlock has centered on the distribution of senior government positions and the structure of the next administration.
The PUK subsequently formed an alliance with the New Generation Movement (NGM), which holds 15 seats, seeking greater leverage in negotiations with the KDP. The KDP, however, rejected negotiating with the two parties as a single bloc and maintained that it would deal with each party separately.
The NGM has since said it will remain in opposition and “under no circumstances” join the incoming cabinet, potentially leaving the KDP and PUK as the principal parties in negotiations over the formation of the next government.
Pira stopped short of setting a timetable for the formation of the 10th KRG cabinet, but said relations between the two dominant Kurdish parties had entered a more positive phase.
“The meetings being held and the discussions taking place at various levels are a sign that the block of ice is melting,” he said.
Recent statements from both sides have indicated that efforts to break the impasse have intensified.
Last month, Talabani said Tuesday that efforts to expedite the government formation process “have been intensified” in recent days.
KDP spokesperson Mahmoud Mohammed also told Rudaw last month that "some good news" would emerge in the coming days, adding that talks with the PUK "are underway and efforts are being exerted" to push government formation forward.
