KDP, PUK to hold high-level meeting as officials hint at ‘good news’

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are set to hold a meeting on Tuesday, attended by senior officials from both sides. PUK officials told Rudaw that “good news” is expected regarding the formation of the next government cabinet.

A source from the KDP told Rudaw on the condition of anonymity that the formation of the next cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will top the agenda of the meeting, which will be attended by KDP President Masoud Barzani and PUK leader Bafel Talabani. 

“In the coming days, we will have good news [regarding the KDP-PUK meeting],” Darbaz Kosrat Rasul, a member of the PUK politburo, told Rudaw. "There is good understanding. We hope to reach agreement on the remaining points in the very near future."

Majid Mohammed Amin, a member of the PUK leadership, told Rudaw that there is “good will” from both sides to reach a final agreement, adding that “good news” is expected in the coming couple of days. 

Barzani and Talabani met in Erbil on Saturday, marking their second meeting in three months to discuss cabinet formation.

The Kurdistan Region held its long-delayed parliamentary election nearly a year ago, in October. The KDP won 39 out of 100 seats, followed by the PUK with 23. As has traditionally been the case, the two parties are seeking to form a power-sharing government.

The KDP and PUK, while rivals, have shared power in government since the establishment of the Kurdistan Region in the nineties. For the past several governments, the KDP has held the posts of prime minister and president.

The legislature has convened only once, in December, when lawmakers were sworn in. According to regulations, sessions should be held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but no meetings have been scheduled in the past eight months. 

Vala Farid, head of the KDP bloc in the Kurdistan parliament and former speaker of the legislature, told Rudaw in mid-August that the parliament would move toward electing a “permanent” presidency after it reconvenes in September, but the legislature has failed to hold another session.