The clock’s ticking… PM-Elect Barzani has 30 days to form new KRG
In the presence of Parliament Speaker Vala Farid and head of the KRG Judicial Council Judge Bangin Mohammed in Erbil, President Barzani called on Masrour Barzani, the former head of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) to form the ninth KRG cabinet, the government announced in a statement.
"Mindful of the enormity of the task, and of the legitimate needs and hopes of the Kurdistani people, I plan to present my cabinet within the next thirty days and call upon the political parties to recognise their solemn and national responsibility to help complete this process," Masrour Barzani tweeted.
He also referenced his father, Masoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), who also served as president to the Kurdistan Region until November 2017. The office was dissolved and then re-activated this year by parliament.
"I’m humbled by the support and confidence of President [Masoud Barzani] and the KDP to serve as the next Prime Minister. To the Kurdistan Parliament, and every faction in the assembly, and to the President of the Kurdistan Region, I thank you for the trust you have bestowed..." Masrour Barzani added, the latter being a reference to his cousin Nechirvan Barzani.
Nechirvan Barzani, the former premier, was sworn in as the president of the Kurdistan Region on Monday before international dignitaries, and Iraqi and Kurdish officials. He will serve a four-year term as the de facto head of state and commander-in-chief of security forces.
"In the political culture and media conventions in the Kurdistan Region, we our rivalries and disagreements are often stressed more than necessary. Let’s have harmony with each other from now on..." however Nechirvan Barzani said, “It is okay for rivalries and differences of opinion to remain."
Nechirvan Barzani added that a "new joint roadmap" for relations is needed between Baghdad and Erbil.
Kurdistan Region MPs chose Masrour Barzani as prime minister on Tuesday. He secured 87 votes among the 97 MPs who attended the session. The chamber has 111 members, but some opposition MPs boycotted the vote.
The KDP struck government formation deals in May with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Change Movement (Gorran), the second and third largest parties respectively, in the Kurdistan Region.
Masoud Barzani said he was "pleased" to see the installation of Masrour Barzani as premier on Tuesday.
"I wish him continued success and plan to fully support him in pursuit of a more developed and more prosperous Kurdistan Region," he tweeted.
All three leaders have spoken about the Kurdistan Region getting its internal affairs in order. It is expected that the KDP, PUK, Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal), and Gorran will hold long-awaited party congresses this year.
The passing of leaders, the conflict with the Islamic State (ISIS), and inter- and intra-party rivalries have delayed some of the parties' congresses.
Formation of the new government has been slow since the Kurdistan Region held its delayed parliamentary election on September 30, 2018.
Some analysts and opposition parties have been critical of the family-dominated governance in the Kurdistan Region, describing it as a de facto two-family monarchy by the Barzani-led KDP and Talabani-led PUK.
Both the KDP and PUK made electoral gains in the parliamentary election. The KDP went from 38 seats to 45, and the PUK from 18 to 21, taking seats mostly from Gorran, and some Islamist parties.