Largest opposition party denies reports suggesting it plans to join next KRG
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s largest opposition party, the New Generation Movement (NGM), on Tuesday denied making any decision about joining the Region’s next cabinet. The statement came after a senior politician from a ruling party claimed earlier this week that NGM had “expressed its readiness” to join the cabinet.
“We as the New Generation Movement have not yet decided to join [the KRG] nor have we decided not to join,” NGM lawmaker Kurdawan Jamal said at a press conference.
His remarks came after senior Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) member Aras Hasso Mirkhan claimed on Sunday in an interview with Rudaw that the NGM had signaled willingness to join the next cabinet.
“We reject all those rumors,” Jamal said, without referring to any particular statement, adding that NGM leader Shaswar Abdulwahid - jailed since August on charges of threatening a former party member - will decide on the matter and the party will abide by his decision.
An NGM official also told Rudaw on Monday, on condition of anonymity, that no final decision has been made.
The Kurdistan Region held its long-delayed parliamentary elections in October 2024. The KDP won 39 seats, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 23, and the NGM 15. All opposition parties initially announced they would not join a coalition government.
Since the vote, government-formation talks have been dominated by KDP-PUK disputes over governance mechanisms and key posts.
The NGM has long opposed joining cabinets without securing senior positions. Abdulwahid said in January that although the KDP offered ministries and posts, the movement “doesn't trust these things,” adding that without “power, authority, sovereign positions… we won't participate in any way and will remain in opposition.”
The party won nine seats in Iraq’s 2021 federal elections but only three in the latest vote. The NGM maintains that Abdulwahid’s detention was orchestrated by the Region’s ruling parties to weaken the movement.
Mirkhan said Sunday that the KDP could form the next cabinet without the PUK if necessary, though he insisted the party believes the PUK will ultimately rejoin the process.
Hoshyar Zebari, a senior KDP official, warned Thursday that if parties fail to reach an agreement, “certainly another election might be held.”
“We as the New Generation Movement have not yet decided to join [the KRG] nor have we decided not to join,” NGM lawmaker Kurdawan Jamal said at a press conference.
His remarks came after senior Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) member Aras Hasso Mirkhan claimed on Sunday in an interview with Rudaw that the NGM had signaled willingness to join the next cabinet.
“We reject all those rumors,” Jamal said, without referring to any particular statement, adding that NGM leader Shaswar Abdulwahid - jailed since August on charges of threatening a former party member - will decide on the matter and the party will abide by his decision.
An NGM official also told Rudaw on Monday, on condition of anonymity, that no final decision has been made.
The Kurdistan Region held its long-delayed parliamentary elections in October 2024. The KDP won 39 seats, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 23, and the NGM 15. All opposition parties initially announced they would not join a coalition government.
Since the vote, government-formation talks have been dominated by KDP-PUK disputes over governance mechanisms and key posts.
The NGM has long opposed joining cabinets without securing senior positions. Abdulwahid said in January that although the KDP offered ministries and posts, the movement “doesn't trust these things,” adding that without “power, authority, sovereign positions… we won't participate in any way and will remain in opposition.”
The party won nine seats in Iraq’s 2021 federal elections but only three in the latest vote. The NGM maintains that Abdulwahid’s detention was orchestrated by the Region’s ruling parties to weaken the movement.
Mirkhan said Sunday that the KDP could form the next cabinet without the PUK if necessary, though he insisted the party believes the PUK will ultimately rejoin the process.
Hoshyar Zebari, a senior KDP official, warned Thursday that if parties fail to reach an agreement, “certainly another election might be held.”