ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) said on Monday the Kurdistan Region's ruling parties have welcomed its recent initiative to reactivate parliament and form a new government.
KIU leader Salahaddin Bahaaddin visited Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani - who is also the second deputy president of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) - on Monday to present him with an initiative aimed at ending the political deadlock. Bahaaddin met with Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani on Sunday for the same purpose.
Salahaddin Babakir, KIU spokesperson, told Rudaw's Zana Kayani that both Barzani and Talabani had welcomed the initiative.
The KDP deputy president expressed his support for "any step that serves to resolve the problems and end the political deadlock," the KIU spokesperson said.
Barzani said in a statement that during his meeting with Bahaaddin that they "stressed the importance of reactivating the Kurdistan Parliament and the Region’s legal and constitutional institutions.”
A statement from Talabani's office on Sunday said they have always welcomed "any initiative that stems from sincerity and serves the interests and benefits of the people of Kurdistan.”
PUK media had launched a campaign against the KDP as tensions between the two parties escalated recently. Babakir said Talabani has ordered his party's media to suspend the campaign, adding that the KDP has said it is "fundamentally not in favor of such rhetoric.”
Hoshyar Siwaily, head of the KDP’s foreign relations office, said he is optimistic that KIU's initiative "will produce good results and outcomes, and that the Kurdistan Region will be rescued from the current deadlock it is facing, namely the deadlock over the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government.”
The meetings come amid a prolonged political deadlock in the Kurdistan Region, where rival parties have failed to form the tenth regional cabinet more than 18 months after parliamentary elections held in October 2024.
In the elections, the KDP won 39 seats and the PUK secured 23 in the 100-seat parliament, with no party achieving a majority. Negotiations to form a new government have stalled over disputes regarding governance structures and key ministerial posts.
Smaller parties, including the KIU, the New Generation Movement (NGM), and the National Stance Movement (Halwest), together hold a number of seats that have further complicated coalition-building efforts. Meanwhile, the political landscape remains divided, with the KDP maintaining control over Erbil and Duhok, while the PUK retains influence in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces.
Tensions have also been heightened by disagreements over potential alliances, including the PUK’s coordination with the opposition NGM, which has become a point of contention in ongoing negotiations over the formation of the next Kurdistan Regional Government.
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