هەواڵ
Nechirvan Barzani and Bafel Talabani arrived in Baghdad as parliament prepares to vote on a new cabinet led by Ali al-Zaidi. Kurds are expected to retain four ministries and a deputy premiership, while key disputes include salaries, oil law, and disputed territories.
بڵاوکراوەتەوە لە : 5 ئایار 2026
قەبارەی دەقەکان
قەبارەی دەقەکان
🔻 Alongside Nechirvan Barzani, Bafel Talabani arrives in Baghdad for government formation talks
At the same time as Nechirvan Barzani’s visit to Baghdad, which is expected to last two days, Bafel Talabani, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has also arrived in the Iraqi capital.
Next week, Iraq’s Council of Representatives is expected to convene to vote on the new government cabinet headed by Ali al-Zaidi.
The visits by Barzani and Talabani come after al-Zaidi’s recent trips to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, where he held discussions on forming Iraq’s new government.
Regarding the Kurdish share in the cabinet, it is expected to remain at four ministries, similar to the current government, with the addition of a new position: Deputy Prime Minister without a ministry.
KDP officials have already indicated that the deputy prime minister post will go to them. The remaining four ministries are expected to be split evenly—two for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and two for the PUK. According to internal arrangements, the PUK has decided to allocate one of its ministerial posts in Baghdad to the New Generation Movement.
If there are no changes to the Kurdish ministerial allocations in Baghdad, the ministries are expected to be as follows:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (sovereign ministry) – KDP share
Ministry of Reconstruction and Housing (service ministry) – KDP share
Ministry of Justice – PUK share
Ministry of Environment – PUK share
As in previous cabinets, several key issues for the Kurdish side in al-Zaidi’s government are expected to include:
Resolving financial disputes and the issue of salaries
Passing the long-delayed oil and gas law (pending since 2005), which would define the powers of both the federal and regional governments over natural resources
Addressing disputed territories, an issue that has remained unresolved for multiple cabinet terms due to financial and oil-related disagreements
