ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) announced on Saturday that it has reached a common understanding with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) regarding political and administrative matters related to forming the 10th Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet. Intensive negotiations between the two parties are scheduled for later this week.
“Common understandings have been reached with the PUK on multiple political and administrative matters for forming the new KRG cabinet, though more negotiations are needed, set to begin later this week,” the KDP stated following a meeting of its central committee. The party expressed optimism about finalizing the new government and Kurdistan Parliament leadership soon, emphasizing the principle of a unified Kurdistan Region under a single government and national force.
Following the official announcement of the October 20 Kurdistan parliamentary election results, the KDP, which retained its lead with 39 seats, formed a high-level negotiating team to initiate government formation talks with all participating political parties, particularly its long-time rival, the PUK, which secured 23 seats.
To facilitate discussions, the KDP and PUK have established a joint committee tasked with drafting a proposal for the new KRG cabinet. This proposal remains under review by both parties.
On January 15, senior KDP leader Hoshyar Zebari disclosed that PUK President Bafel Talabani and KDP leader Masrour Barzani held a closed-door meeting, marking the first high-level engagement between the two parties since the elections.
The October 20 elections, delayed for two years due to political disputes, resulted in the KDP emerging as the leading party with 39 seats, while the PUK secured 23 seats in the 100-member legislature. Despite these results, political challenges persist, as the two two parties have been collaborating to draft a joint governance program.