KDP, PUK discuss 'joint Kurdistani agenda’ for post-election negotiations in Baghdad

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The two leading parties in the Kurdistan Region met on Sunday to discuss Iraq's post-election negotiations aiming to form the next government.

A high-level delegation from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) visited the city of Sulaimani, where members were received by Co-chair of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Bafel Talabani and other top party officials, according to a statement released afterward.

The two sides agreed on the importance of Kurdish unity when facing critical issues in Baghdad, according to a joint statement released after the meeting.

The party officials discussed “articulating a joint Kurdistani agenda based on true partnership, consensus, and constitutional balance,” similar, the statement said, to the principles on which Iraq’s post-2003 was established.

The KDP and PUK are the main components of the current Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) along with Goran (Change) Movement.

A high-level KDP delegation visits the leadership of the PUK in Sulaimani to discuss Iraqi post-election government formation, the Iraqi presidency, Kurdish unity, and Kirkuk governorship, sources told Kurdistan 24. pic.twitter.com/5zg5wJvAaw

— Kurdistan 24 English (@K24English) December 19, 2021

It continued, explaining that the two parties “agreed” to back KRG efforts in order to resolve issues, including public employees’ salaries, addressing students protesters’ demands, and the remerging threat of ISIS, particularly in Iraq's disputed territories.

Following the Oct. 10 parliamentary elections in Iraq and the announcement of its results, several Iraqi and Kurdish parties have been actively negotiating with one another, attempting to maximize their political clout in the next administration.