KDP, PUK reach final draft to form upcoming cabinet: KRG Deputy PM

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The office of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Deputy Prime Minister and senior Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) official, Qubad Talabani, said on Tuesday that the PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have reached an agreement on the final draft of an accord to form the Kurdistan Region's upcoming cabinet.

“The high-level negotiating delegations of the KDP and PUK have agreed on a final draft outlining their joint vision for the next phase,” Talabani’s office stated, adding that the draft “will be instrumental in forming the [Kurdistan Region’s next] government and other institutions to better serve [the Region’s] citizens.”

The KDP’s politburo also issued a statement on Tuesday echoing Talabani’s comments, describing the meeting between the two parties’ delegations as “positive.”

The Kurdistan Region held delayed parliamentary elections in October. The KDP came out on top, securing 39 spots in the 100-member legislature. The PUK came in second with 23 seats.

Since no single party won a majority, a governing coalition will need to be formed, as has traditionally been the case, to form a new cabinet. However, the two parties have not yet finalized their agreement.

Though the KDP and PUK are rivals, they have shared power in government since the establishment of the Kurdistan Region in the 1990s.