Kurdistan Region hosts new rounds of government formation talks

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, held a meeting on Saturday with the head of the al-Wataniya (National) coalition, Ayad Allawi, to discuss the formation of the new Iraqi government.

The meeting held in Erbil comes a day after a meeting between Barzani and US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat IS Brett McGurk. Meanwhile, Sunni alliances held talks with various Kurdish parties in Sulaimani on government formation.

Inter-party negotiations are intensifying as Iraq’s constitutional deadline nears, on Monday, for the first parliamentary session during which lawmakers are to elect a parliament speaker and two deputies.

A Source told Kurdistan 24 that Allawi arrived in Erbil accompanied by Salim al-Jabouri, former Parliament Speaker, and Saleh al-Mutlaq, head of the al-Arabiya party, both of whom belong to the Sunni-led al-Wataniya Coalition—winner of 21 seats—and are allied with the Prime Minister of the caretaker government, Haider al-Abadi.

Upon their arrival in Erbil, the three leaders held a meeting with Barzani, the former President of the Kurdistan Region.

Previous reports claimed an alliance between Wataniya, Muqtada al-Sadr-led Sairoon, Abadi-led Victory, and Ammar al-Hakim-led Wisdom would be the “nucleus” of the largest bloc eyeing to form the government.

However, the four-party alliance would be unable to form the biggest bloc alone without convincing the Kurds and Sunnis to join. So far, there are no indications of an agreement.

The KDP is the largest party in Kurdistan and won 25 seats in the new parliament, ahead of other Kurdish parties.

It also appears the four-party alliance is competing with another coalition led by Nouri al-Maliki and his ally Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Badr Organization and the Hashd al-Shaabi factions’ al-Fatih Coalition, to lead the next government.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany