PM Masrour Barzani considers candidates for new KRG cabinet

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Masrour Barzani, the newly elected prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), was in Sulaimani on Monday to consider candidates for ministerial posts in his new administration. 

Barzani met with officials from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party (KSDP), and the Change Movement (Gorran).

Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the biggest bloc in the Region’s parliament, struck separate government formation deals in May with its nearest rivals, the PUK and Gorran.

 

Following his meeting with leftist leader Mohammed Haji Mahmood, Barzani told a press conference a KSDP official will take charge of the Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs in his new cabinet. 

 

In an earlier press conference following his talks with PUK officials, Barzani said: “We discussed all the aspects we need to agree on in the cabinet, especially the resumes of the candidates so that we can submit them to the parliament before the legal deadline expires, so that we can form the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet together with other parties.” 

Speaking at the same press conference, Himad Ahmad, a member of the PUK politburo, said: “We hope we can form a very strong government together with the other parties for the people, and we hope the government delivers good services to people and resolves problems.”

“We as the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan have some agreements with the Kurdistan Democratic Party and we are determined to implement the articles of the agreement.” 

“It is the duty of the KDP, PUK, and other parties to protect and develop this achievement,” Himad added.

Imad Ahmed, a member of the PUK politburo, told Rudaw on Sunday his party is ready to meet with the KDP and continue talks to nominate a Kurdish PUK member to the seat of Kirkuk governor in parallel with ongoing government formation talks.

Masrour Barzani visited the Gorran Movement headquarters in Sulaimani Monday afternoon, and later told journalists that he was thankful that the party "abided by the deals they had with us. We expect them to form a strong government with us."

Jalal Jawhar, the senior member of Gorran who received Barzani, said that they will soon send their CVs to determine their posts within the cabinet. 

“What is really important for us is to be able to implement our [reform] project together with other sides,” Aras Wali, a member of the Gorran negotiating team, told Rudaw prior to the talks.


On June 12, Nechirvan Barzani, the Kurdistan Region’s newly elected president, tasked is cousin Masrour to form a government within the next 30 days. 

“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 recognize their solemn and national responsibility to help complete this process,” Masrour Barzani tweeted last week.  

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 chose to boycott the vote. 

In the Kurdistan Region’s September 2018 parliamentary election, the KDP emerged as the largest party with 45 seats, followed by the PUK’s 21, and Gorran’s 12.

Updated at 10:05 PM