ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on Sunday announced they had reached a five-point agreement, which included declaring their support for holding the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections on the date which will be set by President Nechirvan Barzani.
The ruling parties held a meeting in Sulaimani’s Dabashan on Sunday, with PUK head Bafel Talabani leading his party’s delegation, while the KDP representation was led by politburo secretary Fazel Mirani. The parties released a joint statement following the meeting.
In addition to announcing their support for holding the elections, the two parties also announced they were setting aside their differences and working towards resolving their issues in all fields “to better serve the people of Kurdistan.”
The KDP and the PUK’s disagreement over the existing election law and electoral commission prevented the carrying out of parliamentary elections last year, leading the legislature to controversially extend its term for an extra year.
With Kurdish lawmakers having failed to reactivate the regional electoral commission before the self-extension and all decisions from the Kurdish parliament thereafter declared null by the Supreme Court, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has been tasked with carrying out the poll. The IHEC has stated that they will not be able to hold the elections later this year as the body is preparing for provincial council elections, suggesting the Kurdish polls be conducted on February 18, 2024.
Fawzi Hariri, the chief of staff of the Kurdistan Region presidency, told Rudaw last week that President Barzani will set a day from February 2024 to hold the Region's parliamentary elections, stressing that the polls will be held no later than February.
Continuing the process of Peshmerga reforms, supporting the agreements of the current Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet, and continuing bilateral meetings “with a Kurdistani and patriotic spirit” were also among the agreements reached during Sunday’s meeting according to the joint statement.
Under the supervision of Western allies, especially the US, Kurdish authorities have launched a reforms process in the Peshmerga forces with the hope of bringing all units under the control of the Peshmerga ministry. Some units are still affiliated to the ruling parties.
The US State Department on Thursday expressed concern that the tensions between KDP and the PUK have impacted the process of Peshmerga reforms.
The KDP and PUK are long-time rivals that have a tenuous power agreement to share power in the Kurdistan Region. Tensions between them have been escalating for more than a year over a variety of issues, with their disagreements hindering the political process in the Kurdistan Region. They were close to a reconciliation in May, before sparring in the parliament and the subsequent dissolution of the legislature put the process on hold.
The two parties have also recently sparred over the distribution of funds to provinces and the transparency of revenue in their areas of control.
