KDP, PUK attend cabinet meeting amid parliament disarray

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A meeting of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was held on Monday, with representatives of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in attendance, to decide on drafting a mechanism to centralize the Region’s revenue sources amid chaos taking place in parliament over the reactivation of the electoral commission.

In the meeting attended by both Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, the cabinet decided to merge the entire Region’s revenue into one bank account. The meeting also touched upon the importance of transparency with regards to income. 

The meeting came as both party’s parliamentary blocs exchanged accusations after Parliament Speaker Rewaz Fayaq adjourned Monday’s session to discuss the reactivation of the region’s electoral commission. The KDP claims a vote was held and the commission has been reactivated, while the PUK insists the session was postponed before a vote was conducted.

In March, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani set November 18 as the date for the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections to take place, yet it remains unclear whether the election will be held on time as the PUK and KDP parliamentary blocs are yet to reach an agreement over the current elections law and electoral commission.

Disputes among the parties over an election law and electoral commission, prevented the parliamentary election from being held last year on its originally scheduled date, leading to a divisive decision by the Kurdistan Region's legislative body to extend its term by an extra year.

Within the government, tensions escalated between both parties, resulting in the  PUK team boycotting meetings for over six months.