By Fatma Younis
One of Iraq's two main Kurdish parties has withdrawn from the government of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, threatening to form a rival administration and deepening a decades-old power struggle. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) announced its departure on Thursday, calling the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)-led government "failed."
Delicate regional moment
The crisis comes at a sensitive time following the withdrawal of the last U.S. forces from the area and amid fears of a new escalation in the U.S.-Iran conflict that could spill over into Iraq.
PUK announces withdrawal
PUK leader Bafel Talabani said in a video statement that his party was leaving the Kurdish regional government, where the KDP holds the top posts. He warned that the PUK would form a parallel administration. The move came a day after the regional parliament convened for the first time in nearly two years.
Parliament session boycotted
The parliamentary session was boycotted by the PUK and allied parties, which had demanded a postponement until consensus was reached on the allocation of senior government positions. With 52 of 100 lawmakers present, meeting the 51-member quorum, the assembly unanimously elected Vala Farid, head of the KDP parliamentary bloc, as speaker.
Decades of rivalry
The split reflects a long-standing rivalry between the KDP and PUK that erupted into civil war in 1994 over political authority, territorial control and customs revenue. A U.S.-brokered peace deal in 1998 ended the fighting, but the region remained divided into two administrations until a formal reunification in 2006. However, political and security structures were never fully integrated, with the KDP dominant in Erbil and Duhok and the PUK in Sulaymaniyah.
External ties and Baghdad tensions
The KDP has historically maintained closer ties with Turkey, while the PUK has longstanding relations with Iran; both parties also have close relations with Washington. In Baghdad, the two parties compete for influence in the federal government and over resources allocated to the Kurdish region, which has frequently clashed with the central government over budget and oil revenue management.
Election aftermath and stalled cabinet
Parliamentary elections in October 2024 gave the KDP 39 seats and the PUK 23, with the smaller New Generation party winning 15 seats. The PUK subsequently allied with New Generation. Disputes over the formula for appointing senior officials have prevented the formation of a new cabinet, leaving the previous KDP-led government of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in place despite a legal challenge before Iraq's Federal Supreme Court.
Security unification in doubt
Before the latest crisis, there had been progress in unifying the region's security forces. In September, units formerly aligned with the KDP and PUK were brought under a unified command within the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs. It remains unclear how the PUK's withdrawal will affect those arrangements.
