KDP - PUK delegation to jointly negotiate terms in Baghdad to form Iraqi government

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on Sunday announced they are preparing a joint delegation and program in upcoming negotiations with parties in Baghdad to help form the new Iraqi government.

The joint delegation is expected to be finalized in the coming days and will meet in the Kurdistan Region to discuss key issues to be brought forward in Baghdad ahead of their visit, in hopes of presenting a united front.

“We have asked other Kurdistani parties to go to Baghdad as part of the joint delegation. We have also prepared an outline of things we wish to discuss with Baghdad and present our terms to secure our participation in the formation of the new Iraqi government,” Kakamin Najar, a member of the KDP Politburo, told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday.

“The share of the national budget for the Kurdistan Region, the Peshmerga, and salaries for civil servants are our priorities. If we can agree on these issues, then we will negotiate [for concessions] in Baghdad.”

Iraq held parliamentary elections across the country on May 12, the first election since the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in Dec. 2017. Negotiations between all parties are expected to take weeks before a new Iraqi cabinet is formed.

Khalid Shwani, a member of the PUK leadership council, told Kurdistan 24 a date for the Baghdad visit “has yet to be set.” 

“All parties for the Kurdistan Region should head to Baghdad together and present a united front [when it comes] to the rights of our people.”

He mentioned that “at least the KDP and PUK” – the biggest parties in the Kurdistan Region – along with other parties “should have a shared vision for the future of Iraq.”

Kurdish parties remain split over the May 12 election as many have claimed widespread electoral fraud and violations took place during the voting and counting process, namely in the Sulaimani Province.

Parties in the Kurdistan Region have 58 alloted seats out of 329 in the Iraqi parliament. The KDP leads the pack in the Kurdistan Region, having secured 25 seats, followed by PUK with 18 seats.

Editing by Nadia Riva