So far, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have not reached an agreement on the division of government posts, and no positions have been allocated between them. They have only agreed to intensify efforts to ensure that the Kurdistan Parliament begins its work and activities in September. They have also reached an understanding on parliamentary posts.

Yesterday, at the PUK Political Bureau headquarters in Erbil, delegations from the KDP and PUK met to discuss forming the new cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The statement issued after the meeting said both sides agreed that serious and intensive efforts should be made to ensure that the sixth term of the Kurdistan Parliament begins its legislative and regular activities in September, and that steps to form the new cabinet continue.

According to Dawar’s sources from KDP and PUK officials, the two sides have not yet agreed on the distribution of posts and have not allocated any positions. The KDP has not accepted part of the PUK’s demands, and the PUK has likewise not agreed to the KDP’s proposals on the division of posts.

Regarding yesterday’s statement, it was only mentioned that efforts should be intensified for the Parliament to convene in September, not that there was an agreement for the Parliament to start sessions. Since the KDP and PUK have not yet agreed on the division of posts — including parliamentary positions — it remains unclear how parliamentary activities will begin. This may be due to the continued pressure from the international community, which repeatedly calls for speeding up the formation of the new KRG cabinet.

In recent meetings between top government, KDP, and PUK leaders with ambassadors and consuls, they have stressed the importance of forming the new cabinet before the Iraqi parliamentary elections.

On the KDP–PUK Negotiations:
Although the two parties have agreed on the government’s program and agenda — and publicly announced their agreement in February — the division of posts remains unresolved. Negotiations are ongoing, with each side maintaining its own demands and rejecting some of the other’s proposals.

The posts the KDP has claimed for itself:

• President of the Kurdistan Region

• Prime Minister of the KRG

• President of the Kurdistan Judicial Council

• Deputy Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament

• Minister of Interior

• Minister of Natural Resources

• Minister of Electricity

• Minister of Education

• Minister of Municipalities

• Head of the Council of Ministers’ Diwan

The posts the KDP has proposed for the PUK:

• Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament

• Vice President of the Kurdistan Region

• Deputy Prime Minister of the KRG

• Minister of Finance

• Minister of Higher Education

• Minister of Planning

• Minister of Labor and Social Affairs

• Minister of Reconstruction

• Minister of Agriculture

• Minister of Trade

• Minister of Peshmerga Affairs

The PUK’s current demands:

• President of the Kurdistan Region

• Or a two-year term split for the Presidency and Premiership

• Minister of Interior

• Minister of Natural Resources

• Minister of Agriculture

• Minister of Finance

• Minister of Higher Education

• Minister of Agriculture (listed twice in their demands)

• Minister of Planning

• Secretary of the Council of Ministers

According to Dawar’s findings, the negotiations are still far from an agreement on dividing the posts. Both sides have rejected several of each other’s proposals and continue to present new demands.

Timeline and legal framework for forming the new cabinet:
KDP and PUK officials, in their meetings with foreign diplomats and UN representatives, have emphasized that the new cabinet should be formed before the Iraqi parliamentary elections. Forming the government after the elections is considered too late, as time is running short.

According to Law No. (1) of 2019 on the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region, Article (4), Paragraph 1, after the election of the Parliament’s Presidency Board, the procedures for electing the President of the Region must begin within 30 days.
This means the election and swearing-in of the Kurdistan Region’s President will take about 30 days.

According to Articles (3) and (4) of Clause (56) of the 1992 Kurdistan Parliamentary Election Law, the President of the Executive Authority (Prime Minister) and the cabinet must be nominated and approved by the Kurdistan Parliament.

Furthermore, according to Paragraph (12) of Article (10) of the amended Law No. (1) of 2005 on the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region, after nomination by Parliament, the candidate for Prime Minister must be tasked with forming the cabinet within a period not exceeding 30 days.

In other words, naming, assigning, and swearing in the new cabinet will also take 30 days.

If the Parliament’s Presidency Board is formed in mid-September, the process of electing and swearing in the President, then forming and swearing in the new cabinet, would take around 60 days — putting the completion of the process in mid-November, about a week after the Iraqi Council of Representatives elections.
This timeline assumes the KDP and PUK reach full agreement on all posts with no further disputes.