KDP Delegation Holds First Official Meeting with Iraqi President as Kurdish Parties Remain Divided

Peregraf — A high-level delegation from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Fazil Mirani, Secretary of the party’s Political Bureau, arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday to begin negotiations over the formation of Iraq’s next federal government, holding its first official meeting with Iraqi President Dr. Latif Rashid.

The meeting with President Rashid marked the KDP delegation’s first formal engagement with federal leadership in the capital, representing a key step in the party’s efforts to secure its role in the ongoing government formation process.

The move comes amid parallel political activity by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). On December 20, PUK President Bafel Talabani intensified his engagements in Baghdad, holding talks with Iraqi political forces as negotiations over the next federal government continue.

The simultaneous but separate tracks pursued by the KDP and PUK underscore the continued absence of a unified Kurdish position in Baghdad. While both parties are seeking influence in the formation of the next federal cabinet, they are negotiating independently with Iraqi factions.

This division contrasts sharply with the broader Iraqi political landscape, where major Shiite and Sunni blocs have largely consolidated into unified alliances to negotiate government formation. These blocs have repeatedly urged the Kurdish parties—particularly the KDP and PUK—to reach an internal agreement, especially on the post of President of the Iraqi Republic, traditionally allocated to the Kurds.

However, ongoing disputes between the two ruling Kurdish parties have so far prevented consensus, prolonging the political deadlock.

The impasse has also affected governance in the Kurdistan Region. More than a year and two months after the Kurdistan parliamentary elections, the Kurdistan Parliament remains inactive, and the formation of the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet has yet to be completed, deepening the political and administrative vacuum in the Region.