Kurdistan's PM-designate calls on parties to present candidates for new cabinet

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The prime minister-designate of the autonomous Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, on Sunday formally invited political parties to present their candidates for ministerial posts in the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Barzani stated that he will attempt to finalize the formation of the new cabinet before reaching the legal deadline, 30 days from Wednesday when he was officially tasked with doing so. His comment came following a meeting with the Politburo of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Erbil Province’s town of Pirmam.

“The posts had already been decided among parties. Now, we will only receive the CVs of the candidates to discuss it,” Barzani told reporters following his meeting with the KDP.

“The candidates should be qualified and have the principles needed to become ministers.”

He also added that in the coming “two days,” he will visit Sulaimani to meet with parties there.

Mahmoud Mohammed, the spokesperson for the KDP, told reporters that his party’s candidates will be ready in the coming weeks to play their part in completing the cabinet within the allotted time.

“We hope the meetings and the government formation process will end in a week or 10 days,” said Mohammed, whose party took first place with a wide margin in the Sept. 2018 regional elections. The KDP beat out the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 21, and Gorran (Change) Movement, which won 12 seats out of the total 111-seat of the regional parliament.

He also commented on the situation in the disputed province of Kirkuk, including the election of a new governor, about which the PUK insisted the KDP sign an agreement aimed at resolving their differences on both Kirkuk and government formation.

The spokesperson specified that those issues will be dealt with promptly, based on the deal that was signed between KDP President Masoud Barzani and PUK acting leader Kosrat Rasul.

After the Kurdistan Region's Parliament named Masrour Barzani as prime minister-designate with 87 votes out of 97 attending lawmakers, President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday issued a formal letter asking Barzani to form the new KRG cabinet. 

Editing by John J. Catherine