Kurdistan
Logos of the Kurdistan Justice Group (KJG) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Graphic: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Senior delegations from the Kurdistan Region’s ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the opposition Kurdistan Justice Group (KJG) met in Erbil on Wednesday in an effort to mend ties, amid signs of progress in talks among the Region’s political parties aimed at overcoming a year-long political deadlock over the formation of the regional government.
“We have our differences, but we still meet because our national and patriotic responsibility is to prevent our adversaries from exploiting our weaknesses, as their strength lies in our fragmentation,” said Fazel Mirani, head of the KDP politburo’s executive committee, who led the party’s delegation, after the meeting.
Mirani further elaborated to reporters that the meeting aimed to “discuss the past, our shortcomings, and the future of this Region.”
For his part, Abdulsattar Majid, a senior member of the KJG’s supreme council, stated, “We must admit that there was a certain coldness between us, which is why we came here today - to restore and improve relations.” He further noted that “the current situation the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the wider region are passing through requires stable relations between political parties.”
The Kurdistan Region held legislative elections in October 2024, with the KDP winning 39 seats and its rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), securing 23 seats in the 100-seat parliament. As neither party secured an absolute majority to form a government - and with opposition parties also failing to reach agreement - the parliament has remained inactive, stalling negotiations to form the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) tenth cabinet.
For its part, the KJG suffered an electoral setback in the October 2024 vote that reduced its seats in the Kurdish parliament from seven to three. It has since boycotted the regional legislature, alleging that the elections were rigged.
Nonetheless, Majid stated on Wednesday that, despite maintaining their stance of non-participation in the current parliamentary term, they still favor an “active parliament and an effective government” capable of passing legislation and holding authorities accountable.
Wednesday’s meeting comes a day after another prominent opposition leader, Salahaddin Bahaaddin, head of the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), told Rudaw on Tuesday that the KDP and PUK welcomed an initiative launched by his party earlier in the week.
The remarks came against the backdrop of a meeting he held with KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, who also serves as the KDP’s second deputy leader. Bahaaddin said that during the meeting he expressed support for “any step that serves to resolve the problem and end the political deadlock.”
The KIU leader also met with Bafel Talabani, leader of the PUK, on Sunday.
In a statement released after the meeting, the PUK said that “starting today, and in order to pave the way for calming the situation, the PUK media outlets will support this atmosphere and will not be part of escalating conflicts.”
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment