ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An advisor to Bafel Talabani, president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), said Sunday the party has developed a detailed package for participating in Iraq’s next federal government, as efforts have intensified to form a new government following the appointment of a prime minister-designate.
Bestun Fayaq told Rudaw's Sangar Abdulrahman that Saturday’s meeting between Talabani and Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, who met with the Kurdish leaders in Erbil and Sulaimani as part of intensifying efforts to form a new cabinet, was “good,” adding that the PUK would join the new government with “a project and a plan.”
Fayaq said that the party has prepared a “multi-page and multi-point” framework that Talabani will present during negotiations, adding that the PUK, "as an influential Kurdish and Iraqi force,” will participate in the cabinet “with Kurdistan and Iraqi projects and plans.”
Following his meeting with Zaidi, Talabani said in a statement that discussions focused on resolving longstanding disputes between Erbil and Baghdad, stressing a government should be formed that “ensures a dignified life for citizens, overcomes economic and security challenges, and protects the rights of all Iraqi components - especially the Kurdish people - in accordance with the constitution.”
Iraq held legislative elections in early November, and in late December, parliament elected its speaker and two deputies. On April 11, parliament elected the PUK nominee, Nizar Amedi, as president.
Late last month, Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework - the largest parliamentary bloc with 174 seats - named Zaidi as its “consensus candidate” for the post of the country’s next prime minister, after weeks of consultations among its constituent parties. The post has been traditionally held by a Shiite.
According to Fayaq, the PUK proposal is built on three main pillars: securing the constitutional rights and entitlements of the Kurdistan Region; determining the Kurdish share -- particularly the PUK’s role - in the cabinet; and addressing longstanding territorial and constitutional disputes with Baghdad.
Fayaq emphasized that the party aims to break with past cycles of disagreement. “This time, the PUK is entering negotiations with more seriousness to ensure that problems do not resurface and that a different page is turned regarding the Kurdistan Region,” he said.
In February, the PUK formed an alliance with the opposition New Generation Movement, which gained 15 seats in the October 2024 Kurdistan parliamentary elections. According to Fayaq, the two parties' partnership is seeking to consolidate influence in both Erbil and Baghdad and counterbalance the dominance of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
“We have an agreement with New Generation. The alliance that exists between the PUK and New Generation in Kurdistan is certainly applicable in Baghdad as well,” he said.
He noted that part of this cooperation has already been implemented, pointing to New Generation’s support for the PUK’s candidate for Iraq’s presidency. “We will enter the government formation negotiations as a team, and at that point, the distribution of ministries will not be an issue,” Fayaq added.
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