ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani stated on Sunday that the negotiations to form a new Kurdistan Regional Government are progressing well and expressed optimism that the civil servants’ salary crisis would be resolved.
Speaking to Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Talabani urged the people of the Kurdistan Region to “be patient with us as we are working to form the best government” in the region’s “history of governance.”
The Kurdistan Region held its delayed parliamentary elections in October, but political parties have yet to reach a final agreement on the shape of its upcoming government. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) came out on top in the October ballot securing 39 spots in the Region’s 100-member legislature. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) came in second with 23 seats.
Earlier this month the KDP and the PUK announced they had reached an initial deal on government formation. However, when asked about when the new government will see light, Talabani said, “I do not have an answer for that.” The deputy premier, who is also a senior PUK member, confirmed however that talks between his party and the KDP “are underway and good progress has been made.” While there are areas of agreement, Talabani noted that some issues between the PUK and KDP remain unresolved, but are mostly “technical” in nature.
On the issue of unpaid salaries for the Kurdistan Region’s civil servants, Talabani expressed hope that “an understanding had been reached” with the federal government in Baghdad and that the latter would adopt the “approved” January salary list as “a basis” to ensure the timely payment of salaries each month.
The KRG has struggled to pay the salaries of its civil servants on time and in full for a decade due to financial hardships that worsened after the suspension of its oil exports in March 2023, following a court ruling on a dispute between Iraq and Turkey over the Kurdistan Region’s independent oil sales.
The KRG also relies on its share of the federal budget to cover the salaries. However, the transfer of funds from Baghdad has been inconsistent, with both sides blaming each other for the delays.
Despite this, Talabani noted that “the issue of the people of Kurdistan is not only about [unpaid] salaries” but “much bigger than that.” He suggested that resolving the salary crisis would allow for progress on other critical issues.
In January, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani criticized the federal government for reducing the disputes between Erbil and Baghdad to the issue of unpaid salaries, highlighting other tangled issues, including territorial disputes and reparations for the victims of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime.
