ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The negotiating delegations of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are set to meet on Saturday in Sulaimani for another round of talks around the formation of the tenth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

“Today, Saturday, both the KDP and PUK negotiating delegations will meet in Sulaimani to discuss the draft and report that has been prepared,” Saadi Ahmad Pira, spokesperson for the PUK, told The New Region on Saturday.

The meeting will reportedly see discussions around a draft prepared by the two delegations, and aim to help the two sides come to an understanding on forming the government before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

“Besides positions, there are still many other things to be discussed, therefore negotiations between both parties continue,” Chia Harki, deputy head of Erbil organizational bureau of the KDP, told The New Region, adding that “one high-level meeting between KDP and PUK will not necessarily settle everything.”

Earlier this month, the parties held what they called “the last meeting” of their joint negotiation committee for talks on forming the next cabinet, announcing that they had struck “initial agreements.”

The KDP and PUK emerged as the main parties from the October 20 parliamentary elections, gaining 39 and 23 seats respectively.  The two parties appear poised to form the government, as most of the other parties have already declared their opposition.

The Kurdistan Region’s newly-elected members of parliament were sworn in early December, officially commencing their legislative duties. By law, the lawmakers were supposed to elect a speaker during the first session, but the vote was not carried out due to failure to reach the legal quorum.