ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Negotiations between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) concerning the formation of the new Kurdish government cabinet are in their “final stages,” a PUK official told The New Region on Wednesday.

The KDP and PUK have held multiple meetings to reach an accord on the distribution of posts in the 10th cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which the two parties are poised to form together as the winners of the Region’s parliamentary elections.

“The meetings between the two negotiating delegations will continue, and they are in their final stages,” said PUK politburo member Saadi Ahmed Pira, adding that he is conscious that the two sides will come together for another round of talks soon.

The KDP and PUK emerged as the main parties from the October 20 parliamentary elections, gaining 39 and 23 seats, respectively. The Kurdistan Region’s newly elected members of parliament were sworn in early December, officially commencing their legislative duties.

The PUK has given the KDP a list of requests in previous meetings, Pira added, noting that it now falls on the KDP to return to them with a response “so that we understand what they accept and what they reject from the requests.” Therefore, “the next meeting will be conducted on the basis of this matter,” the PUK official revealed.

A “final draft” outlining the formation of the cabinet was reached between the two parties on March 18, which has been followed by multiple rounds of talks since between the two election winners with a similar agenda to the upcoming talks. Pira explained that they have dedicated the last two months to establishing “shared views” between the rivals.

The two sides met at the executive level in late April, when Kurdistan Region Prime Minister and Deputy KDP President Masrour Barzani met with Bafel Talabani, the leader of the PUK, in Dukan. Prior to which sources told The New Region that the meetings will be decisive and will see discussions around “the distribution of posts.”

Top officials from both parties confirmed to The New Region earlier in May that their meetings regarding government formation talks are set to resume soon.