PM Barzani: Full Implementation of Constitution Key to KDP Joining Iraqi Govt

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In an interview at the 6th Middle East Peace and Security Forum on Tuesday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani revealed that the formation of the new KRG cabinet has been delayed for over a year due to "unreasonable positions" from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and declared that following the Iraqi federal elections, the "conditions are going to change" for negotiations.

Speaking with esteemed energy journalist Amena Bakr, the Prime Minister also laid down the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) unshakeable condition for joining the next federal government in Baghdad: a firm commitment to the full implementation of the Iraqi constitution.

The Stalled KRG Government Formation

When asked about the significant delay in forming the new KRG cabinet, Prime Minister Barzani expressed his frustration. “It's very unfortunate that after a year we still don't have a government in Kurdistan,” he said, asserting that his party and he himself “wanted to have the government formed immediately after the elections.”

He explained that while some parties chose to be in the opposition, negotiations with the PUK, a partner in the ninth cabinet, hit a roadblock. He said that while talks on the government’s agenda went “very smoothly,” friction emerged when it came to allocating positions.

“That's when PUK, I think, were insisting on some very unreasonable positions,” the Prime Minister stated. “What's the point of going to elections if you don't respect the results? Elections give you a winner and then give you maybe a lesser winner… Based on the size of each party, each group, you should respect the formation of the government has to be a reflection of the victory of each group.”

He detailed that the KDP was "very flexible and very generous" and offered the PUK more positions than they were entitled to based on their election results, but they "insisted on more."

“Although they denied that there was a policy, it was clear that they didn't want to form the government until the Iraqi elections are held,” he continued. “Perhaps they had a miscalculation that KDP would do poorly in the Iraqi election. Or perhaps they thought maybe they would lose leverage of negotiating positions in Baghdad if they formed the government in Kurdistan. Whatever the reason is, I think they have to clarify.”

He then delivered a clear message on the path forward: “Before these elections, we made it very clear that we are generous because we want to have a united Kurdish position before the Iraqi elections… But if no government is formed before the elections, then the conditions are going to change. Today and the post-Iraqi elections, conditions have changed. So we are going to negotiate the formation of the government based on the new conditions.”

While he hopes to have a government formed before the end of the year, he noted, “Can we do it? This remains to be seen.”

Constitutional Red Line for Baghdad

On the federal level, Prime Minister Barzani characterized the relationship with Baghdad as lacking “a real power sharing.” He stressed that persistent issues over disputed territories, the budget, and a hydrocarbon law stem from a failure to adhere to the constitution. “Still, the government in Baghdad relies on an outdated law that they inherited from the previous regime, and it's not applicable to our federal system,” he said.

Looking ahead to the formation of the next Iraqi government, he was unequivocal about the KDP’s stance. “It's not about personalities, really. It's more about the agenda and the relationship, the constitutional relationship between Baghdad and Erbil,” he said. “Our conditions are very clear. We want full implementation of the constitution without being subjective and choosing some articles and ignoring the others.” He added that the country’s biggest problem is that the “mechanism to implement the constitution is lacking. No one who violates the constitution is being held accountable.”

An ‘Unfair’ Election and the KDP as ‘Number One’

While he called the Iraqi election process a “big success,” Prime Minister Barzani leveled sharp criticism at the electoral law itself, calling it “not fair.”

He used the opportunity to correct the record on his party’s standing. “Yesterday, I made a comment… when she said that KDP is number two. I said, no, we are number one,” he stated firmly. “With more than 1,100,000 votes, Kurdistan Democratic Party is the largest party today in Iraq. We only have coalitions of several parties that have slightly more votes than us. But if you look at the number of seats that we have won, are not compatible to the votes that we've collected.”

He provided specific numbers to illustrate the disparity: the KDP’s 1.1 million votes yielded 27 seats, while the State of Law coalition received 29 seats with only 728,000 votes. “Proportionately, this election wasn't fair, it wasn't just, and it didn't give us the seats that we deserve,” he said, expressing hope the law would be changed.

Energy, Economy, and Youth Employment

On the critical energy file, the Prime Minister described the current deal to export oil through the Ceyhan pipeline as “temporary” and reiterated that a “more sustainable solution… would be to have the hydrocarbon law.”

He expressed concern that Baghdad could halt exports again. “They did it once, so what's stopping them to do it again? We have no leverage to stop them from doing this,” he said, calling the original decision purely political. He also refuted claims that the Kurdistan Region had overproduced its OPEC quota, stating, “Kurdistan has never produced more than its share, never.”

Production recovery has been hampered by both the Baghdad-imposed shutdown, which made smaller wells uneconomical, and by drone attacks on oil fields. He said the perpetrators were known and some were arrested, “but then they were released on bail, and they didn't face the consequences.”

Looking ahead, Prime Minister Barzani outlined his domestic agenda, which includes completing major digitalization projects like ‘My Account’ and implementing an electronic payment system called ‘e-Psula.’ To tackle youth unemployment, he described a two-pronged approach: fighting for the KRG’s right to hire public sector employees—a right blocked by Baghdad since 2013—and massively investing in and growing the private sector. He highlighted the ‘Bloom’ project, which helps young entrepreneurs secure bank loans with government support, as a key initiative.

A Message for Syria and the Future

Offering his perspective on Syria, the Prime Minister advised that an “inclusive government” and a constitution that guarantees equal citizenship for all its diverse communities is the only path to peace. “Let's for once, try to help each other and complement each other,” he urged. He put this principle into practice during the forum, revealing, “I was very pleased to host both Kurdish factions from Kurdish National Council (KNC) and also the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) this morning. This is what this forum is about. We're not only talking, but we're acting upon it.”

The Full Transcript Interview with PM Masrour Barzani