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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) will send a joint team to Baghdad to negotiate the formation of Iraq's new government with other political parties, a politburo member of the PUK told Rudaw on Wednesday.
KDP and PUK met in Sulaimani’s Dabashan on December 19, emphasising the unity of Kurds in Baghdad.
Imad Ahmed, PUK politburo member who is part of the party's negotiation team for Baghdad, told Rudaw’s Hawraz Gulpi on Wednesday that his party and the KDP agreed in the meeting to send a joint team to Baghdad, adding that both parties are on good terms regarding the formation of a new Iraqi government.
“In the Dabashan meeting, we and our brothers from the KDP decided to go to Baghdad as a Kurdistani team - PUK, KDP and others, if they want to join - with a mutual agenda in order to be able to defend the legitimate rights of our people,” he said.
“The Article 140, implementation of the Constitution, all-inclusive government and real partnership are key points of the agendas of PUK and KDP,” Ahmed added.
Iraq held parliamentary elections on October 10. The vote’s controversial results were ratified by the Federal Supreme Court on Monday, ending months of disputes over the final results and paved the way for the political parties to hold further meetings to negotiate the formation of a new cabinet.
KDP, which had gained 33 seats in the initial results, lost two seats to the PUK when the final results were announced. This increased PUK’s seats from 15 to 17 but a Kurdish winning candidate, who won a seat in Kirkuk, has announced she is affiliated to the party as well.
The Kurdistan Region’s both ruling parties, KDP and PUK, have already made several meetings with Iraqi political parties regarding Iraq’s new cabinet.
The position of Iraqi president has been entitled to Kurds since 2005. It has been held by the PUK since then. However, in 2018, the position harmed the relations of the PUK and KDP after both fielded different candidates for the position. PUK’s Barham Salih won the position. However, the issue seems to have renewed after officials from both parties exchanged a war of words over the position recently.
PUK’s Ahmed said they have not officially appointed any person for the position or discussed it with the KDP but did not expect issues in this regard.
KDP head Masoud Barzani met with PUK co-chair Bafel Talabani in November, emphasising the importance of presenting a united Kurdish front in Baghdad as well as drafting a joint programme focused on “the formation of the next Iraqi government, establishing the principle of partnership in the government, implementing citizens’ demands and achieving stability."
According to the final results, the Sadrist bloc gained 73 seats out of the legislature's total 329 seats, becoming the top winner of the elections. Fatih Alliance, the largest list representing the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi), won 17 seats. Taqadum, a Sunni alliance headed by the outgoing speaker of Iraqi parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi, gained 37 seats.
Sadr met with rivals from the Hashd-affiliated parties in Najaf on Wednesday. These parties - which have recently established the Coordination Framework - have alleged fraud in the elections.
According to the state media, both sides talked about the political situation of the country and the formation of a new cabinet. However, details of the meeting remain unclear.
Kurds have been kingmakers regarding the formation of a number of Iraqi cabinets in the past. Rudaw spoke to several people in Baghdad about the participation of Kurds in the next government.
Salam Mohammed, a vendor, said if Kurds and Sadrist block reach an agreement “things will go well. Otherwise, there will be issues.”
Hashim Jassim said Kurds have been oppressed by Iraqi governments, adding that Iraqi officials acknowledge this only during election campaigns.
“We hope their [Iraqi next government] treatment with Kurds will be good and as per the Constitution,” said Hassan Ali.
Shiite parties have been divided into two blocks: Sadrists and Coordination Framework. Kurds have said they will not be part of disputes between both sides.
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