Kurdistan
Lahur Talabany, leader of the People’s Front (Baray Gal) speaking to Rudaw in Sulaimani on April 17, 2025. Photo: screengrab/Rudaw
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Lahur Talabany, leader of the People’s Front (Baray Gal), said on Wednesday that one of the ruling parties is deliberately stalling the formation of the new cabinet until the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections, seemingly to link the talks with the distribution of positions in Baghdad.
"From what I see on both sides, I do not expect them to form a government quickly," Lahur Talabany told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman.
"I hear from here and there that one of them [Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) or Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)] wants to delay the matter until the Iraqi elections, to negotiate positions there together - discussing positions like the Iraqi presidency, Kurdistan Region Presidency, and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) premiership [in one package],” Lahur Talabany added without naming which party.
The Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections took place on October 20, but political parties have yet to finalize an agreement on forming a new cabinet. The KDP and PUK have held multiple meetings, with officials from both sides expressing optimism about reaching a final deal before Iraq’s general elections, scheduled for November 11.
In its only session held on December 2, the Kurdistan Region’s legislature failed to elect a speaker, deputy speaker, or secretary. No further sessions have been scheduled, as lawmakers await the outcome of government formation talks between the KDP and PUK.
The KDP came out on top in the last elections, securing 39 spots in the 100-member legislature. The PUK came in second with 23 seats. Since no single party won a majority, a governing coalition will need to be formed, as has traditionally been the case.
Negotiations are ongoing but have yet to produce concrete results, and discussions over the distribution of governmental, presidential, and parliamentary posts in the Kurdistan Region have not yet begun.
The Iraqi Council of Ministers last week set November 11, 2025, as the date for the next legislative elections.
The PUK had grappled for years over who would succeed the late party leader and Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, who died in October 2017. Eventually, Bafel Talabani, the son of the late Talabani, and cousin Lahur Talabany were elected as co-chairs of the PUK in February 2020.
Their internal issues surfaced in 2021, when Bafel Talabani changed the leadership of the party’s intelligence agency and counter-terrorism units, which were affiliated with Lahur Talabany, replacing them with individuals loyal to himself—effectively ousting Lahur from power.
In January 2022, Lahur Talabany founded Baray Gal, which secured only two seats in the Kurdistan Region’s latest parliamentary elections.
“The election was rigged and designed,” he claimed, in the interview with Rudaw, adding that his party refuses to join a government if offered positions are based only on the two seats they have won.
“Our support is in the streets, not in ballot boxes,” he said.
He further stated that he is skeptical about the ability of the KDP and PUK to form “a unified government where party influence is removed.”
“I will be the first to strongly oppose you if I see you forming a government that is just for show, saying there's one Kurdistan Region and one government, but in reality it is two governments, two zones, with parties making decisions instead of government institutions,” he said, noting that he conveyed this stance to Kurdistan Region Prime Minister and KDP deputy leader Masrour Barzani in a phone call, where he was asked to participate in the government.
“We are making preparations [for the Iraqi elections],” Talabani added, saying that the likelihood of elections being held on time depends on the outcome of ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran regarding Iran’s nuclear program. “I believe if Iran and the US don't reach some agreement, the Iraqi parliamentary elections won't happen, or there will be problems created for it in Baghdad.”
Regarding tensions in the region and US policy, Talabani said he believes US threats against armed groups in Iraq are serious. “These groups have become a threat to US's interests and its allies in the region. In the past, they operated outside the law and the Iraqi government’s authority, making certain decisions and movements. This time they must end these movements, either peacefully or forcefully.”
He expressed doubt over Baghdad’s ability to control these groups. “I heard Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani saying the Popular Mobilization Forces are under control, but I do not think so. The Iraqi government did not order them to fire missiles at Israel and American ships, but we saw most threats came from Iraq. So, they were not under the government control.”
On the situation in Syria, Talabani said that while Kurds there have established a degree of autonomy, the future depends on negotiations with Turkey. “They fought ISIS [Islamic State], they control certain things, including ISIS prisoners, which is important for European countries and US.
He criticized the interim Syrian constitution for excluding Kurdish rights. “He [Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa] could have shown good intentions. Instead, by closing the door on everyone, he has opened the door to regional intervention.”
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