ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the main opposition New Generation Movement (NGM) on Thursday formalized their alliance after the leaders of both parties signed the agreement. PUK leader Bafel Talabani invited other parties to join.
The alliance was proposed by NGM leader Abdulwahid and announced on January 15, a day after he was released on bail after spending nearly six months in jail on incitement and defamation charges. He was charged in Sulaimani, a stronghold of both his party and the PUK. New Generation leaders and rights groups have called the case politically motivated.
"Our agreement with the PUK is not against any party, and its main goal is only to serve the people," Abdulwahid said in a speech during the ceremony in which the agreement was signed. The event was attended by officials from both parties and other politicians.
"This moment requires courage in decision-making, and all parties must take a stance on this situation," Abdulwahid added. "If we put the people's interests first, then everyone will be successful, and now is the time to implement the promises made to the citizens."
Responding to claims that he had been forced to strike such a deal with the PUK while in jail, the NGM leader said he wished he had signed the agreement with the former rival a year ago but it did not happen.
"Even if it was done from prison, [consider that] Ocalan is negotiating with the Turkish government from prison," he said, referring to the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Ocalan has been negotiating a peace agreement with the Turkish state since late 2024.
Abdulwahid also cited Nelson Mandela as an example of a leader who negotiated with authorities from jail.
He denied that the agreement is aimed at merging his party with the PUK, telling Rudaw's Arkan Ali that the objective of the agreement "is not about unification, but about government and the future strategy of the Kurdistan Region."
Both parties have hinted that the main objective of the alliance is to join forces in efforts to activate the Kurdistan parliament and form the new cabinet of the Kurdistan Region. Their main rival is the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
The Kurdistan Region has remained without a new government since the October 2024 parliamentary elections. The KDP won 39 seats, while the PUK secured 23 and the NGM gained 15 in the 100-seat legislature.
Months of negotiations between the two ruling parties - KDP and PUK - have failed to produce an agreement on forming the next cabinet. They were close to reaching a final deal before disputes over power-sharing ushered in a political deadlock.
Call for expansion
Talabani also delivered a speech at the alliance announcement event in Sulaimani.
"We are committed to our promises to the people of Kurdistan, and today is a historic day for Kurdistan. From today, the people of Kurdistan should expect a new politics. From today, in Kurdistan and in Iraq as well, we are the number one force," he said.
He said the door is open for all political parties in the Kurdistan Region to join the alliance, but announced a number of "requirements," including for the parties to "acknowledge their mistakes" and change their policies.
Talabani claimed that their alliance is "number one force" in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
The PUK has previously signed similar agreements with the KDP and the former main opposition Gorran Movement, in 2005 and 2016, respectively. The KDP-PUK Strategic Agreement has not been officially terminated but remains ineffective. Gorran, like the NGM, was the biggest opposition party a decade ago, but its popularity declined after it struck a deal with the PUK and joined the incumbent cabinet.
READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE AGREEMENT
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