KDP Bloc Convenes in Baghdad to Coordinate Strategy Ahead of Presidential Election Vote
KDP and PUK leaders are holding final talks ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary session to elect Iraq’s president and finalize government formation steps.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) parliamentary bloc in Baghdad is scheduled to convene late Saturday with Fuad Hussein and the party’s regional administrative branch to coordinate its strategy for a pivotal legislative session intended to elect Iraq’s next president.
The meeting, which is set to begin at 5:00 p.m. local time, coincides with ongoing and intensive negotiations between the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to determine whether the two dominant Kurdish parties will present a unified candidate during the Sunday morning vote.
According to information obtained by Kurdistan24, the Saturday evening gathering is a critical component of the KDP's preparations for the seventh session of the Iraqi Council of Representatives. The primary objective of the meeting with Hussein and the Baghdad branch is to align the party’s voting bloc with the strategic decisions currently being finalized in the higher-level inter-party talks.
Deliberations between the KDP and the PUK regarding the presidency are reportedly still active, with a final determination on the manner of their participation expected to be reached before the conclusion of the evening.
The central point of contention in the negotiations remains whether the Kurdish parties will enter the parliamentary chamber with a single joint nominee or if each organization will choose to participate with its own individual candidate. Under the governing norms established after 2003, the post of the President of the Republic is traditionally reserved for the Kurdish component.
The failure to reach a consensus between the two primary Kurdish political entities has historically led to competitive voting rounds on the floor of the parliament.
The urgency of these administrative and political maneuvers is highlighted by the official agenda published by the media office of the Iraqi Parliament for Sunday, February 1, 2026. The session is scheduled to commence at 11:00 a.m. and consists of two primary constitutional items.
The first item on the program is the formal swearing-in ceremony for several members of parliament who have yet to take the constitutional oath, as well as the induction of parliamentary replacements.
The second and most significant item on the Sunday agenda is the "Election of the President." This procedure is widely regarded as a fundamental milestone in the country’s current political transition.
According to the constitutional framework, the successful election of a head of state is the mandatory prerequisite for the subsequent tasking of a prime minister-designate to form the new federal government cabinet.
KDP officials in Baghdad indicated that the 5:00 p.m. coordination session is intended to ensure that all members of the bloc are prepared for the various scenarios that may emerge during the Sunday vote. The party's administrative branch in the capital is expected to provide tactical briefings on the current parliamentary landscape and the positions of other major political blocs.
The media office of the Iraqi Parliament confirmed that the session will proceed as planned, emphasizing the importance of completing these sovereign requirements to maintain the stability of state institutions.
As the Saturday evening deadline for the KDP-PUK talks approaches, the focus of the regional political establishment remains on whether a unified Kurdish front can be established to expedite the formation of the next government.
Should the parties remain divided by the time the session opens on Sunday morning, the decision will fall to the collective body of the 329-member parliament to select a winner from among the competing candidates.