“In several meetings over the past two or three weeks, there has been fortunately a semi-understanding between the two main parties, KDP [Kurdistan Democratic Party] and PUK [Patriotic Union of Kurdistan], to join forces and find solutions to problems with Baghdad and defend together the rights of Kurdistan's people. It doesn't have to be for all issues, but they should agree on the main topics, including salaries, budget, and Peshmerga,” Kurdistan Region Presidency's Chief of Staff Fawzi Hariri told Rudaw last week.
The KDP and PUK are seeking to secure more seats in the Iraqi parliament and, so far, have conducted a calm campaign ahead of the federal legislative elections scheduled for November 11.
Both parties have also not reached a final agreement about the formation of Kurdistan Region’s next cabinet, nearly a year after the Region held parliamentary polls. The new government is not expected to be formed until after the federal elections.
Dilshad Shahab, a member of KDP’s cabinet formation negotiations team, told Rudaw last week that his party had accepted 80 percent of PUK’s demands.
“In our last meeting - according to the PUK themselves - 80 percent of their demands were met. Well, if a party believes that 80 percent of the joint program for the future phase is in place, then doesn’t the interest of the Kurdistani people require letting go of the remaining 20 percent? This is true for both of us," said Shahab, who is also spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Presidency, noted.
Saadi Pira, a senior PUK official, told Rudaw earlier this week that the KDP considers many top positions — including the prime minister, president, and key ministries — as red lines.
Hariri also said that the political parties “have a duty to prioritize people's issues, services, and improving their living conditions above everything else, to make people's welfare their main program. Slogans are not enough - it's important to serve people through actions."
Kurdish officials and politicians have urged people to take in the Iraqi elections, with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani emphasizing on Tuesday the importance of the vote.
“These elections are important for Kurdistan Region because a new beginning in Iraq is starting, a beginning we call the implementation of the Iraqi constitution, which is very important for the KDP and for Kurdistan in this phase ahead of us. Therefore, we must renew our promise to the blood of our martyrs, our promise to our brave Peshmerga, and all of us must participate in this election with enthusiasm. These elections are no less important than the elections we hold in Kurdistan Region, if not more important,” Barzani, who is also the first deputy president of the KDP, told his party’s supporters in Erbil.
Sangar Abdulrahman contributed to this article.
