ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The tripartite alliance of the Sadrists, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance will start to hold meetings in an effort to resume the government formation process as Iraq remains deeply entrenched in political turmoil, the KDP spokesperson said on Sunday.
"Starting tomorrow [Monday], a series of meetings will be held with the tripartite alliance to find a way out of this political blockage and form the government," KDP spokesperson Mahmood Mohammed told Rudaw's Ranja Jamal on Sunday.
With rivals Coordination Framework seemingly failing to capitalize on Sadrist Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr's 40-day ultimatum to form a government excluding his alliance, the tripartite alliance, named Save the Homeland Alliance, is readying to intensify its efforts to release Iraq from the months-long deadlock currently engulfing the country's political scene, as Sadr's deadline is set to close this week.
Mohammed mentioned that "the current political situation affects all other areas, with the emergence of a number of issues related to the authority of the current government to send the budget law to parliament," as well as other issues that include concluding contracts and the "outstanding problems" between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government.
The spokesman for the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Mahmoud Muhammad, announced today, Sunday 8 May 2022 after the Leadership Council meeting of the party, that the tripartite alliance will soon start holding a series of meetings on the mechanism of forming the Iraqi government. pic.twitter.com/QIBBb5T2xi
— KDP ForeignRelations (@kdpfro) May 8, 2022
The KDP's leadership council, led by President Masoud Barzani, met on Sunday and discussed a host of topics, among which were the obstacles facing the formation of Iraq's next government and the implementation of Article 140, which addresses the issue of lands disputed between Erbil and Baghdad.
Sadr's main rival in the battle to form Iraq's next government is the Coordination Framework, a pro-Iran Shiite alliance that has repeatedly opposed his calls for a national majority government, instead vying for the more familiar government based on political consensus.
On Wednesday, the Shiite cleric called on the Iraqi parliament's 43 independent members to form a government within 15 days, one which his alliance would vote for should the independents successfully manage to complete the task.
Boycotts over disagreements in the government formation process have caused Iraq's different alliances to fail in electing a president on three occasions, seven months after the country held early elections.
