ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s two ruling parties met on Saturday to continue government formation talks. The negotiating sides have made progress, including agreeing that a 2026 budget be passed by the regional parliament, according to the deputy prime minister. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) issued a joint statement after their meeting in Sulaimani. "The meeting was dedicated to presenting and discussing the report of the joint committee of both sides, which consisted of political and administrative visions and steps related to forming the tenth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government and other institutions," the statement read. Delegates at the meeting included KDP’s Hoshyar Zebari and PUK’s Qubad Talabani, who is also the deputy prime minister. The meeting was positive, the joint statement said, adding that "observations of the negotiating delegations of both sides were presented and appropriate mechanisms for how to reorganize and agree on all issues were discussed." A jointly approved program for forming the new cabinet will be finalized to serve the interests of its people, the statement added. Talabani, speaking during a conference in Sulaimani on Saturday, said that one point both sides agree on is that in 2026, a budget must be approved by the Kurdistan Parliament, something that has not happened for over a decade. "I believe this step will lead to better governance of the country,” he said. Talabani also said the next government should focus on decentralization of power. In the October 20 parliamentary elections, no single party won a majority, meaning a governing coalition will have to be formed, as has historically been the case. The KDP won 39 spots in the 100-seat legislature, followed by the PUK with 23. Third place went to the New Generation Movement with 15 seats. The party’s leader, Shaswar Abdulwahid, has said the KDP discussed offering them positions in the government, but that without real power, they have decided to remain in opposition. The KDP and PUK, while rivals, have shared power in government since the establishment of the Kurdistan Region in the nineties.
