For some time, we had two de facto governments – one in Erbil led by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and one in Sulaimani led by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Following the strategic agreement between these two parties, we then had a government shared between the KDP and PUK with each occupying 50 percent of government positions.
Most recently we had a coalition government.
Each of these governance systems had its own advantages and disadvantages, but we don’t have a study to show which one was better.
The government jointly formed by the KDP and PUK on a 50-50 basis lasted a short time and finally led to political, military, social and geographical divisions in the Kurdistan Region. Twenty years later, the bad implications of this kind of governance still pose a threat to us.
The subsequent cabinets have all been under the hegemony of these two ruling parties.
There is one kind of governance we haven’t tried, and that is for either the KDP or PUK to rule and for the other to be in opposition. But the problem is neither one will succumb to the rule of the other. Such a situation will not happen even if either party is reduced to just one seat after an election, as they themselves have said.
So what should be done?
In light of our past experiences with a KDP-PUK government, it is important the next government in the Kurdistan Region is not formed by these two parties only, although they can do it legally given the number of the seats they have won. Parties who won seats in the recent election should understand that not taking part in the government will take the Kurdistan Region back to the days of 50-50 KDP and PUK rule.
A KDP-PUK government will be dangerous and will lead to the division of Kurdistan. In such a case, the unity of Kurdistan will only be superficial and each party will have its own armed forces, Asayesh, and government.
Those two ruling parties will divide the Kurdistan Region again whenever they deem it necessary to do so.
And Baghdad wants Kurdistan to move in this direction. Baghdad wants the constitutional entity of the Kurdistan Region to be dissolved so that it can easily change the Iraqi constitution.
Political parties with a historical responsibility to the Kurdistan Region should know that leaving the government to the KDP and PUK will enhance this danger to the constitutional entity of the Kurdistan Region.
A third party should work to ensure the Kurdistan Region remains united and Gorran is the only party that can do this. They must take a senior position within the next government.
