ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official on Sunday said re-running parliamentary elections is among the options being considered if the ongoing political deadlock in the Kurdistan Region persists, warning that delays in government formation cannot continue indefinitely.
Hoshyar Siwaily, head of the KDP’s foreign relations office, cautioned that recent political alignments in the Kurdistan Region have further complicated the process of government formation. “The rapprochement between the PUK [Patriotic Union of Kurdistan] and the New Generation Movement [NGM] makes the process of government formation more complex, and re-running the election is one of the options,” he told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman on Sunday.
Kurdistan parliamentary elections were held in October 2024. However, the new government has yet to be formed due to the political disagreements - particularly between the KDP and PUK ruling parties - over power sharing in the next cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Siwaily stressed that prolonged paralysis is not sustainable. “We cannot wait for years; if the situation remains as it is, holding new elections is one of the options available to the political parties,” he added.
He also said international actors are urging swift action. “Our international friends tell us frankly that the government must be formed as soon as possible," he said, adding that "however, unfortunately, instead of coming forward seriously, the PUK is busy forming an alliance with the New Generation Movement. This complicates and delays the process rather than facilitating it.”
Rejecting the idea that rival parties could form a government without the KDP, Siwaily stated that it is "impossible to form a government without the KDP.