ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday said the two main Kurdish parties have yet to agree on Iraq’s presidential candidate, as a political deadlock continues extending the constitutional process past its deadline. 

“So far, no agreement has been made with the PUK [Patriotic Union of Kurdistan] regarding the Iraqi president position, and discussions continue,” Barzani, who is also a deputy leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), told reporters during a commemoration event for the 2004 Erbil bombings.

The Iraqi parliament on Sunday postponed for a second time a session to elect the country’s next president due to not meeting quorum. No new date has yet been set for the session.

A delegation from Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework is expected in Erbil to discuss the presidency and premiership with President Masoud Barzani, he added.

The Iraqi presidency, traditionally reserved for Kurds, is constitutionally required to be settled by the parliament within 30 days of the new legislature's first session, with the deadline having passed in this case on January 28.

The KDP and PUK have also failed to form the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), despite the elections having been held in October 2024, due to disagreements over posts. Since then, the regional parliament has only convened once.

The premier also touched on the latest agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Damascus, stressing that Kurdish rights must be safeguarded.

“We hope that the agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government will be expanded,” PM Barzani said, adding that President Masoud Barzani played a “key role” in bringing peace between both sides.

The SDF announced on Friday that it has reached a “comprehensive agreement” with Damascus that will see a phased integration process of the Kurdish-led forces into the Syrian state after weeks-long clashes between both sides.

SDF chief Mazloum Abdi said Saturday that the Kurdistan Region’s leaders had daily contact with them and played a big role in stopping the fighting.

In a phone call with Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa on Saturday, President Masoud Barzani “expressed his blessing” of the recent Damascus-SDF deal, emphasizing the necessity of its implementation, according to a statement from the Syrian Presidency.

Sharaa “affirmed the Syrian state's commitment to the national, political, and civil rights of the Kurds, stressing that all Syrians are equal before the law and enjoy equal rights,” the statement read.

Recent clashes between Kurdish-led forces and Damascus-affiliated factions broke out after a year of tensions regarding a prospective integration agreement, with Rojava authorities remaining hesitant in light of sectarian massacres perpetrated by state forces against the country's Druze and Alawite minorities.