The Kurdistan Region’s governing parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the PUK have been at loggerheads in recent months over the Region’s parliamentary elections, the transparency of the oil and local income of the provinces under their influence, and the assassination of a former PUK colonel in Erbil in October.
“The PUK wants to guide the situation towards peace and reconciliation for the sake of the people and for ensuring decent living conditions,” PUK leader Bafel Talabani said in a statement, adding that politics should be a means to serve the people, not create diversions.
The PUK leader said that their door is open for all parties that wish to work together “in a Kurdish spirit,” stressing that the Kurdistan Region is stronger when there is trust between the political parties.
The recent escalation in the tensions between both governing parties has led to PUK’s boycotting of government’s weekly meetings headed by PM Masrour Barzani. Qubad Talabani, deputy PM and a senior member of the PUK, has also stopped attending the meetings of the Council of Ministers.
Despite working together in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the two parties have established control over different parts of the Region, often being referred to as the “Yellow Zone” and “Green Zone.“ The KDP is dominant in Erbil and Duhok provinces, while the PUK rules Sulaimani and Halabja.
