President Barzani, US consul stress political consensus amid Kurdistan gov’t formation talks

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Monday met with US Consul General Gwendolyn Green in Erbil, discussing steps toward forming the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet and the need for political consensus among parties.

According to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency, the meeting addressed “the political situation of the Kurdistan Region and the steps toward forming the new cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government.” The statement added that “both sides emphasized the importance of mutual understanding and cooperation between the political parties to ensure the success of the political process.”

The Region’s parliamentary elections were held in October 2024. However, the new government has yet to be formed due to the political disagreements - particularly between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) ruling parties - over power sharing in the next cabinet.

The elections resulted in the KDP winning 39 seats and the PUK 23 in the 100-seat legislature, with no party securing a majority, leaving government formation stalled amid disputes over governance mechanisms and key posts.

Monday’s meeting also covered relations between Erbil and Baghdad, as well as broader developments in Iraq’s political landscape.

The presidency said discussions highlighted “the latest developments in Iraq's political process regarding the election of the President and the formation of the new federal government,” noting that both sides agreed on “the importance of the success of the political process and maintaining political stability in the country.”

Iraq held its legislative elections in November. Since 2003, an informal power-sharing system has allocated the parliament’s speakership to Sunni Arabs, the premiership to Shiite parties, and the presidency to the Kurds.

In late December, the Iraqi Parliament convened its first session and elected Haibat al-Halbousi, a member of the Sunni Takaddum party, as speaker. Lawmakers also chose Adnan Faihan of the Sadiqoon Bloc, affiliated with the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq armed group, as first deputy speaker, and Farhad Atrushi of the KDP as second deputy speaker.

However, the disagreements between the KDP and the PUK over the position of the President have stalled the formation of the government. The parties have both nominated candidates for the position, and their failure to agree on a single joint nominee has reportedly resulted in a political deadlock.

Under Iraq’s constitution, the president must be elected within 30 days of the first parliamentary session. Once sworn in, the president has up to 15 days to task the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc with forming a government.

Following the election results, the Shiite Coordination Framework announced it had formed the largest bloc in parliament, positioning itself to nominate the next prime minister. The alliance has since named former prime minister and State of Law coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki as its candidate for the premiership.

The Coordination Framework has held separate meetings with delegations from both the KDP and PUK, urging them to reach “an agreement that allows the president to be elected within the constitutionally specified date” and stressing “the need to respect constitutional timelines and finalize national entitlements.”

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said last week that the Region’s two biggest parties have yet to reach an agreement on a joint candidate for Iraq’s presidency. The federal parliament has indefinitely postponed a scheduled session to elect a new president for the country.

Regional issues were also on the agenda of President Barzani and Green's meeting. The statement said that “the situation in Syria and the latest regional developments in general were further aspects of the discussions.”