Kurdistan’s KDP and PUK to soon begin 3rd round of negotiations over gov. formation

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The top two parties in the Kurdistan Region are scheduled to meet in the coming days for another round of negotiations on the formation of the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet.

Both the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on Sunday confirmed to Kurdistan 24 the meeting would take place.

Kosrat Rasul, the first deputy head of the PUK and the acting party leader, will be the one to receive the KDP delegation, according to the PUK’s media office.

Following the Sep. 30 regional parliamentary elections, the KDP came in the first, securing 45 seats in the 111-seat Kurdistan Parliament, followed by the PUK, with 21 seats.

The KDP nominated Masrour Barzani, the current Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC), for the post of Prime Minister, to head the new KRG cabinet.

Negotiations over the government formation have already begun, albeit slowly, with KDP delegates already meeting twice in mid-December with the PUK and Gorran (Change) Movement.

Sources from the KDP negotiating group have stated the PUK wants to reach an all-or-nothing agreement with the KDP regarding the new KRG cabinet, disputed territories, and Iraqi federal government posts, which the KDP has refused to do, preferring to discuss non-government-formation topics in separate meetings.

The negotiations come as the PUK aims to secure the post of Minister of Justice within the Iraqi government, a position which remains vacant. Choosing a new Kurdish Governor for Kirkuk and the current situation in the province, in general, is another topic on which the PUK seeks to gain KDP’s consent and support.

“We hope negotiations won’t be delayed for much longer, which could result in people losing confidence in the Kurdistan Region’s governmental institutions,” said Hemin Hawrami, the head of the KDP faction in Kurdistan Parliament, earlier last week.

Editing by Nadia Riva