Iraqi delegation strikes 'initial' coalition agreement with Kurdish parties
According to Nsar al-Rubaie, head of the visiting delegation, they have reached an initial agreement with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
“Our meeting with KDP and PUK was very good,” he told Rudaw.
The KDP and PUK are expected to give their answer within 24 hours.
Members of the delegation represent Muqtada al-Sadr's Sayirun, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's Nasr Coalition, Ammar al-Hakim's al-Hikma, and Ayad al-Allawi's al-Watanyah.
The delegation also met with President Masoud Barzani, whose KDP won 25 seats in the May 12 elections.
The PUK came second with 18 seats.
The two parties are sought after by the Iraqi delegation for a coalition government.
A senior KDP official told Rudaw that the Kurdish leadership has not yet decided which bloc or a coalition to join.
"What really matters is that we do not have a veto against any group," Ali Hussein, head of the KDP public relations department said. "Whoever agrees to implement the Kurdish demands we will reach a deal with them."
According to a statement released by Barzani’s office, “opinions were exchanged regarding the political errors of the post-2003 phase in Iraqi political process and governance.”
They focused on “those mechanisms which can prevent the repetition of the errors,” the statement added.
Domestically the PUK and KDP have reached out to four parties who dispute the results of the elections and urged them to join a united Kurdish agenda before fully joining the new chapter of Iraqi politics.
Last week, the Sayirun alliance teamed up with Nasr, the Hikma Front, and Al-Wataniya to form the core of a parliamentary bloc. If the alliance can win over the Sunni and Kurdish parties, it is well placed to form a governing coalition.
On Monday, Iraq’s election commission told the parties intending to form parliamentary alliances to officially register with its staff.
“The Commission calls on all parties, coalitions and successful candidates who intend to form parliamentary alliances to visit the department of political parties and organizations in the Electoral Commission starting from Tuesday, for the purpose of registration according to the law,” it said in a statement published on its Facebook page.
Last updated 6.21 p.m.