KDP and PUK to hold leadership meeting on Kurdistan government formation

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq — The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are expected to meet at the leadership level soon to discuss reactivating the Kurdistan Regional Government parliament and forming a new government, Ali Hussein, head of the KDP Sulaymaniyah and Halabja organizations bureau, said on Sunday. Hussein said the talks would focus on parliament's resumption and the cabinet formation process, adding that the risks facing the Kurdistan Region require all parties to set aside their own interests and prioritize the broader public interest. On government formation efforts, Hussein said the New Generation Movement had previously proposed to the KDP a cabinet formula that excluded the PUK, but the KDP rejected the offer because it wanted the PUK to be part of the next government. He added that the KDP does not view its relationship with the PUK in narrow seat-count terms and stressed that voter will and election results must be respected.