ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) officials met a delegation from the Change Movement (Gorran) in Erbil on Wednesday to negotiate positions in the new government. Gorran was expected to request several top posts and influential ministries, but details from the meeting are scant.
Nechirvan Barzani, the KDP prime minister and nominee for the presidency, headed the party’s delegation, while Gorran’s delegation was led by the party’s leader, Omer Saed Ali.
In a joint statement following the meeting, the delegations issued three key points.
They first agreed to adjust their bilateral relations to suit Iraq and the Region’s new economic, political, and diplomatic realities, and to strengthen ties with the federal government in Baghdad.
Secondly, the two sides agreed to work toward a single, united position on Kirkuk and the disputed territories with the aim of resolving the situation in line with the constitution while protecting the rights of all ethnic groups.
Although the characteristically opaque joint statement gave nothing away about the division of specific government posts, it said both sides would work towards unity to strengthen the Region and to promote livelihoods and stability.
The meeting came a day after the KDP met for talks with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in the Kurdistan Region capital.
According to sources who spoke to Rudaw, Gorran is expected to request the post of deputy prime minister – a post currently held by the PUK’s Qubad Talabani.
It is possible the new government will create a second deputy prime minister post to incorporate both parties.
Gorran is also expected to request the vice presidency – a post previously held by the PUK’s acting leader Kosrat Rasul Ali before the KDP’s Masoud Barzani resigned and the presidency was frozen.
Rudaw understands Gorran will nominate Mustafa Saed Qadir, the former Peshmerga minister, for the post of vice president.
The party is also eyeing the ministries of finance, Peshmerga, and natural resources, reports suggest.
In the Kurdistan Region parliamentary election of September 30, Gorran emerged as the third biggest party with 12 seats – half the 24 it had commanded in the previous parliament.
The PUK was able to retake second place, emerging with 21 seats – up from its earlier 18.
Although all parties have called for political partnership, there is intense competition for government posts.
This is a developing story... Last updated 3.51 pm
