KDP, PUK politburos to meet tomorrow in Erbil

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan 24 has learned that the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) political bureaus will meet on Sunday in Erbil.

The main topic of their meeting is parliamentary and provincial council elections.

Recently, Ali Rashid, chairman of the Erbil Provincial Council, told Kurdistan 24 that the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Interior Ministry had approved holding both the parliamentary and provincial council elections simultaneously.

Read More: KRG parliamentary and provincial council elections to be held simultaneously

Following an initiative by KDP President Masoud Barzani calling for a national dialogue among all the parties in the Region, top KDP and PUK delegations met on May 21 and discussed numerous issues, including the upcoming Kurdistan Region parliamentary election set for Nov. 18, 2023.

On June 21, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani received the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, in which both sides agreed to hold parliamentary elections on time.

Read More: PM Barzani, UN envoy to Iraq agrees to hold parliamentary elections on time

In recent months, tensions between the Region’s main partners in the KRG Ninth Cabinet have centered around the administrative and financial management of Sulaimani, which is the PUK’s stronghold.

The tensions led to heated discussions between the two sides, which led the PUK team to pull out of KRG cabinet sessions for six months.

Following a meeting between PM Barzani and his Deputy Qubad Jalal Talabani from the PUK, tensions began to wane, leading to the party's return to cabinet sessions on Sunday.

The normalization of ties between the two sides has been widely welcomed by the Region's allies, including the US, UK, and the Netherlands.

Read More: Diplomatic missions praise KRG’s commitment to democratic principles