Iraqi Kurdistan’s parliament returned to session in November after almost two years of paralysis, setting off a dispute that has moved into the regional cabinet. The Kurdistan Democratic Party drove the parliamentary reopening, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan withdrew its ministers in response. On November 11 the cabinet met and called on those ministers to return, Rudaw reported. The next test is whether the parties can agree on decisions that need to apply across the whole region.
The dispute exposes the gap between holding the most seats and governing through institutions that both parties accept. Iraq’s election commission reported in 2024 that the KDP had won 39 seats in the regional parliament and the PUK 23. Neither party won a majority in the 100 seat chamber, leaving each dependent on other parties or on an agreement with its rival. A UK parliamentary briefing describes how the two parties also retain distinct security forces, giving the rivalry consequences beyond parliamentary procedure.
A split would raise a separate set of questions for Baghdad. Iraq’s constitution recognizes the Kurdistan Region and its existing authorities, and gives governorates a procedure for forming a region through a referendum. Any bid for a new region would raise questions about administrative boundaries, federal transfers and the status of staff who currently work for regional institutions. Even a decision to pursue that route would leave an immediate problem for residents who depend on services provided across party lines.
For now, cooperation can be measured in ordinary cabinet business. Can the parties settle how ministers take decisions, approve spending and represent the region in dealings with Baghdad? An agreement on those powers would give a new cabinet room to operate. If ministers stay away and parallel decisions take hold, each successive dispute could make a return to shared government harder.
Original analysis inspired by Winthrop Rodgers from The New Arab. Additional research and verification conducted through multiple sources.
