No talks on government formation yet: PUK
Though the Kurdistan Region parliament held its first session on Tuesday, talks about forming the next government or selecting senior figures have not begun, said Saadi Pira, spokesperson for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
"No meeting has been held between the political parties to discuss a post,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
Since the Kurdistan Region doesn’t have a constitution, there are no timelines dictating the formation of government. Instead the parliament works by tradition.
The PUK plans to meet with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) within the coming days to test the waters, Pira added.
The PUK and KDP have publicly expressed their determination to work together in government, but they fell out last month over the post of the Iraqi president.
"It is not a final meeting. It is not a meeting for making big decisions," Pira qualified. They will focus on working on a governance alliance.
He accepted that the two parties differ on many points, saying “We aren’t one party to sing the same songs.”
But he noted they have achieved successes in the past when working together and other forces “to an extent.”
Pira said they are going into talks without conditions and will not accept ultimatums from anyone else.
KDP law makers vows to monitor performance of government
"We do not reject any side. We have a clear program for government in Kurdistan and we want to have a stable government and parliament," MP Hemin Hawrami told reporters after being sworn in.
Hawrami, who received the most votes on the KDP list, said his party “will strongly, more than any other party, monitor the performance of our government and ministers."
Speaking of scenarios for the government formation, Hawrami said "the PUK is our main partner in the Kurdistan Region" despite differences and recent rivalries which came out as a result of the Iraqi presidency subject.
"We share the same fate, so it is quite normal if we visit the PUK as the first party to discuss the matter of government formation,” added.
He said some other parties have chosen to become opposition, so the KDP will not approach them.
"But we want to maintain good relations with them as well, and we do not deem them as the enemy,” said the first-time MP.
Parties like the New Generation and the Kurdistan Islamic Union have already said they will not join a KDP-PUK government.
"The KDP's door is open for all those who share our agenda and those who will stay with us till the end and in that they are not partial partners,” he said.
KDP won 45 seats in the election on September 30.
10:25 a.m.
MPs take oaths in new Kurdistan Region parliament
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Region's next MPs are arriving at the parliament in the capital of Erbil on Tuesday.
The body will hold a session at noon to begin swearing in parliamentarians.
The Kurdistan Region held its first election since 2013 on September 30.
The Judicial Council approved the election results on October 30.
The first session will be presided over by the oldest member.
The Kurdistan Region has a unicameral legislature with 111 seats — 11 reserved for minorities.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) won 45 seats, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 21, the Change Movement (Gorran) 12, New Generation 12, Komal seven, and the joint Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU)-Islamic Movement of Kurdistan (IMK) Reform List 5.
Of the 11 seats reserved for the Kurdistan Region's minority groups, the Turkmen secured five, the Christians five, and the Armenians one. No seats are reserved for the Yezidis.
This is a developing story...
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