PUK says latest meeting with KDP ‘very positive’
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The spokesperson for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said on Saturday that last week’s meeting with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) was “very positive," but ended without any formal agreements, as deadlock continues over the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the selection of Iraq’s president.
KDP President Masoud Barzani and PUK leader Bafel Talabani met in Erbil on Wednesday, amid ongoing talks to form a new cabinet of the KRG and select a new president of Iraq — a position traditionally allocated to the Kurds.
“It was a very positive meeting held in a calm atmosphere. Although no formal agreement was signed, both sides agreed on preserving the entity of the Kurdistan Region and finding solutions to national issues,” PUK spokesperson Karwan Gaznayi told reporters on Saturday.
Nineteen candidates - both Kurdish and Arab - have been approved to run for the position. However, the presidency is widely expected to go to either the KDP, the PUK, or a consensus candidate backed by both parties. Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the post has largely been held by the PUK.
The Iraqi parliament has indefinitely postponed a scheduled session to elect a new president.
Iraq held parliamentary elections in early November. Under Iraq’s informal power-sharing system, the speakership is allocated to Sunni Arabs, the premiership to Shiite parties, and the presidency to the Kurds.
Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections were held in October 2024, but political parties have failed to reach a final agreement to fully reactivate the parliament and form a new cabinet.
KDP President Masoud Barzani and PUK leader Bafel Talabani met in Erbil on Wednesday, amid ongoing talks to form a new cabinet of the KRG and select a new president of Iraq — a position traditionally allocated to the Kurds.
“It was a very positive meeting held in a calm atmosphere. Although no formal agreement was signed, both sides agreed on preserving the entity of the Kurdistan Region and finding solutions to national issues,” PUK spokesperson Karwan Gaznayi told reporters on Saturday.
Nineteen candidates - both Kurdish and Arab - have been approved to run for the position. However, the presidency is widely expected to go to either the KDP, the PUK, or a consensus candidate backed by both parties. Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the post has largely been held by the PUK.
The Iraqi parliament has indefinitely postponed a scheduled session to elect a new president.
Iraq held parliamentary elections in early November. Under Iraq’s informal power-sharing system, the speakership is allocated to Sunni Arabs, the premiership to Shiite parties, and the presidency to the Kurds.
Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections were held in October 2024, but political parties have failed to reach a final agreement to fully reactivate the parliament and form a new cabinet.