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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Monday described the nearly two-year period since legislative elections were held as “unfortunate,” noting the regional parliament has since convened only once, and as a new government has yet to be formed. The senior official, who also serves as second deputy leader of the Region's ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), further warned that while his party has offered concessions, its “patience is not without limit.”
“From the day after the election, we called for parliament to convene and for government formation to begin,” the Kurdish Premier said in a speech he delivered at the University of Duhok, adding, “We have always stood ready, extending a hand of friendship to every political party holding seats in parliament.”
The Kurdistan Region held parliamentary elections in October 2024, with the KDP winning 39 seats and the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) securing 23 seats in the 100-seat legislature.
With no party achieving an absolute majority, the two sides have engaged in government formation talks that have since stalled over disagreements on governance structures and key posts.
“Cabinet formation must reflect the will of the voters and the election results,” Prime Minister Barzani affirmed on Monday, adding that “we have made concessions, yielded our statutory shares, and forgone our rights for the benefit of our people and the peace and prosperity of our nation.”
However, “our patience is not without limit,” he asserted.
The Premier's remarks come just days after Saadi Ahmed Pira, a prominent PUK official, pointed on Saturday to discussions between senior delegations from his party and the KDP, as well as talks between Prime Minister Barzani and his Deputy Qubad Talabani, who is also a leading PUK member.
“As a result of the ongoing discussions - those talks between the high-level delegations of both sides, between the prime minister and his deputy, and by sincere individuals who are eager for a rapprochement between the parties - the ice is now melting somewhat,” Pira said at a press conference.
“We hope that in the near future these talks will yield results, lead to a summit meeting, and put an end to this [crisis],” he added.
While the prolonged deadlock has centered on the distribution of senior government posts and the structure of the next administration, the PUK's alliance with the Region's main opposition party, the New Generation Movement (NGM), which holds 15 seats in the regional parliament, has further complicated the scene.
The KDP subsequently rejected the PUK's attempt to gain more leverage at the negotiating table through the alliance, refusing to negotiate with the two parties as a single bloc and maintaining that it would deal with each party separately.
