KDP positive government formation is progressing with Gorran
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) described its meeting with the Change Movement (Gorran) on Tuesday as “good,” while expressing that progress has been made with the party concerning government formation.
“There is an understanding over the basic issues, the criteria of participation and what the governmental plan will be, and what the priorities of that government need to be,” Hoshyar Zebari, a member of KDP Politburo, told reporters after meeting with Gorran in Erbil.
The KDP has formed two “technical committees” with Gorran. One of them was to agree on the next KRG’s plan, and the other for criteria for participation government. “Both meetings were good,” Zebari added.
Negotiations will continue and Zebari is hopeful parliament can soon convene to vote on the new cabinet.
“We have no other option but to form this government together, while taking electoral entitlements into consideration so that all comfortably participate,” he said.
The KDP, which has been criticized for being too uncompromising in neogotiations, says it has no plans to marginalize any party.
“However, all sides need to shoulder the responsibility and realize that the governmental and constitutional gap in the Kurdistan Region isn’t in the interest of our people,” he added.
As a first step, they need to reach an agreement over the presidency of the parliament, for the parliament to convene and then to amend the presidential law to reactivate that institution of the Kurdistan Region.
Presidential powers were dispersed by the previous parliament following the expiration of former President Masoud Barzani’s term in November 2017.
KDP also met with Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) yesterday. The main issue bogging down the formation of the KRG centers on PUK’s aims to reach an agreement with KDP over Kirkuk, Baghdad, and governance in the next four years.
KDP says the issues are all separate and need to be address indepently. Recently however, the PUK seems to be showing some leniency, as is the KDP.
The KDP won the most seats in the September election with 45. PUK leapfrogged Gorran to take 21. Gorran fell to 12 seats in the 111-seat legislature.