KDP, PUK reach deal on parliament: Session set for October, speakership to PUK
The Kurdistan Parliament, largely dormant for months, is expected to reconvene in October. Under the agreement, the speakership will go to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, clearing the way for the election of a regional president and formation of a new government.
RastinewsThe Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have agreed to convene the Kurdistan Parliament in October. Technical and administrative preparations for the parliament's return to work are already underway.
Under the deal, the first session will elect the parliament's presiding board, with the speakership going to the PUK.
"We can be ready in under 24 hours"
Saman Ahmed Bekir, information director of the Kurdistan Parliament, said that once the political parties reach a final agreement and formally request a session, all procedures needed to open it could be completed in under a day.
Bekir said three separate ballot boxes would be set up in the general assembly hall for the board election. Lawmakers will vote separately for speaker, deputy speaker and parliament secretary, with the two youngest members of parliament serving on the counting committee.
Regional presidency and government up next
According to Bekir, once the presiding board is in place, the process of electing the Kurdistan Region president will begin. The elected president must then secure parliament's approval within 30 days.
After that, the prime minister and cabinet members will go through a vote of confidence. Standing specialized committees must also be formed and begin work within 30 days of the parliament's opening.
Details of the KDP-PUK agreement come from an unnamed source who spoke to Kurdistan24. Neither party has issued an official statement on the matter.
Parliament had stalled after its first session
The Kurdistan Region held parliamentary elections on October 20, 2024. The new parliament held its first session on December 2, 2024, when lawmakers were sworn in, but the session was left open after members failed to elect a presiding board.
Talks between the KDP and PUK on forming a government have dragged on inconclusively since then, leaving the parliament effectively unable to function.