Kurdistan’s top parties hold more talks ahead of Iraq gov’t formation

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) delegations are holding two meetings on Wednesday to discuss a wide range of issues of common interest, according to announcements by the parties.

The parties each have two separate teams, with one meeting a delegation from the other in the cities of Erbil and Sulaimani.

The Erbil meeting will focus on preparing a joint political project for negotiations with Iraqi political parties in Baghdad, amid government formation talks.

Politburo member Hoshyar Zebari leads the KDP delegation in Erbil for this meeting, while senior PUK official Emad Ahmad heads his party's team.

The KDP-PUK meeting in Sulaimani will focus on drafting a Kurdistan Region Constitution, upcoming elections, and activating the region's election commission. 

Leadership council members Hemin Hawrami and Khasraw Goran will top the KDP team in Sulaimani, and PUK officials Rizgar Hamajan and Talar Lateef spearhead their PUK counterparts.

Read More: KDP, PUK discuss 'Kurdish unity' in next Iraqi government

Notably, the PUK and the KDP—Kurdistan's top two parties—have not discussed who would get the Iraqi presidency, a position traditionally reserved for a Kurdish candidate. They did, however, insist that a Kurd should once again hold the position.

The KDP, according to results ratified by Iraq's top court, has secured 31 seats in the parliamentary election. The PUK, which ran in an alliance with the Goran Movement, has 17 seats, per the official tally.

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.

Read More: KDP, PUK discuss 'joint Kurdistani agenda' for post-election negotiations in Baghdad