This photograph shows Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (L) shaking hands with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader, Bafel Talabani.
One of two main parties in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) withdrew from the government on Nov. 5, threatening to form a rival administration, as a long-running power struggle between the parties intensified.
Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said in a video statement that the party was withdrawing from the Kurdish regional government, where the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) holds the top posts. KDP’s Masrour Barzani serves as the prime minister.
He called the KDP-led government “failed” and threatened that his party will form a parallel administration.
The announcement came a day after the regional parliament met for the first time after nearly two years of political paralysis.
The session was boycotted by the PUK and allied parties that had pushed for the KDP to postpone it until a consensus could be reached on the allocation of top government positions.
The vote proceeded with 52 of the 100 lawmakers present, meeting the 51-member quorum requirement. The lawmakers present unanimously elected Vala Farid, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s parliamentary bloc, as speaker.
The blowup reflects a decades-old rivalry between the KDP and PUK, which have traditionally divided political influence across Iraq’s Kurdish region.
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The KDP is strongest in the regional capital of Erbil and the city of Duhok, while the PUK has its traditional stronghold in Sulaymaniyah.
The KDP has historically had closer ties with Türkiye, while the PUK has longstanding relations with Iran. Both parties also maintain close relations with Washington.
In Baghdad, the two parties compete for influence in the federal government and over the resources allocated to the Kurdish region.
