Talabani announces his party’s withdrawal from the Kurdistan regional cabinet
Bafel Talabani announced that the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan would withdraw from the Kurdistan Regional Government and reject the reopened parliament. His announcement followed a parliamentary session organised by the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party. Talabani challenged the session's legitimacy and threatened matching appointments, adding a cabinet withdrawal to the parties' prolonged dispute over government formation.
Geopolitics··Morning
Talabani rejects the cabinet and parliamentary step
Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, announced his party's withdrawal from the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq.[1], [2]
Speaking after a party leadership meeting on 5 November, he rejected the regional parliament's recent reopening and said his party would not recognise appointments arising from it. He described the caretaker government as a failure and said the leadership had authorised him to decide the party's response.[1]
A dispute over appointments blocks government formation
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, have disagreed over senior posts and formation of the next regional cabinet. The parliament had been effectively paralysed since its opening sitting in December 2024. The Kurdistan Democratic Party argues that legislative work should resume independently of cabinet negotiations. Talabani's party seeks agreement on key positions before parliament reconvenes. The two parties won 23 and 39 seats respectively in the October 2024 election.[1]
Talabani threatens parallel appointments
Talabani said he had visited Erbil more than 15 times in efforts to form a government, but accused the other side of obstructing agreement. He also alleged that lawmakers had been bought off or threatened; those accusations are his claims. He threatened to match any appointment of a regional president, prime minister or minister with a corresponding appointment. His announcement makes withdrawal from the existing cabinet the party's first response to the parliamentary dispute.[2]
