KIU Chief Says Party Unlikely to Join New KRG Cabinet

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The Kurdistan Islamic Union is unlikely to participate in the next Kurdistan Region Government cabinet, Secretary-General Salahaddin Bahaaddin said Tuesday, while urging the Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan to accelerate negotiations and end the prolonged government-formation process.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Kurdistan24 reporter Hoshmand Sadiq on Tuesday, Bahaaddin said the current political situation required the KDP and PUK, the Kurdistan Region's two largest political parties, to return to direct talks and reach an agreement on forming the new government.

"It must be done, and there is no other solution," Bahaaddin said.

He said the two parties had previously committed to holding a meeting, but that unspecified developments prevented it from taking place.

"The KDP and PUK promised to meet, but several issues arose and the meeting did not take place," he said. "Both sides may be waiting for certain developments. Our initiative remains ongoing."

Bahaaddin has recently promoted an initiative aimed at easing tensions between the KDP and PUK and encouraging both sides to move more quickly toward forming a new cabinet.

Asked whether the KIU itself could join the government, however, he indicated that such a move remained improbable.

"It is unlikely, and the issue has not been discussed so far," Bahaaddin said.

The position is consistent with the KIU's stance since the Kurdistan parliamentary elections. The party has repeatedly said it intends to remain in opposition rather than join the incoming cabinet, presenting its role as one of political oversight and accountability.

The KIU won seven seats in the latest Kurdistan parliamentary election, giving it a parliamentary presence while leaving it outside the two-party negotiations expected to determine the structure of the next government.

Bahaaddin's comments place the emphasis back on the KDP and PUK as the principal actors responsible for overcoming the current impasse.

While the KIU says its mediation initiative remains active, Bahaaddin made clear that the party does not currently view participation in government as part of that effort.

For the KIU, the priority is instead to push the major parties toward an agreement while maintaining its own position as an opposition force in the new parliamentary term.