ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have yet to agree on a candidate for the next Iraqi president, a KDP lawmaker said on Thursday, citing the regional conflict as the reason for the talks having halted.

"There is still no agreement between the two Kurdish parties on a presidential candidate, and negotiations have stalled due to the war," Danar Abdulghaffar, a KDP lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament, told Iraqi state media.

With a ceasefire in the region, Abdulghaffar said the parties will have the opportunity to “resume negotiations,” adding that the talks could result in an agreement.

The Iraqi parliament in late March said it has set April 11 as the date for a parliamentary session to elect the country’s next president, with President Masoud Barzani, leader of the KDP, warning that rushing in the process would lead to “counterproductive” results and “deeper divisions,” stressing the need for further consultation. 

The Iraqi parliament is constitutionally required to hold a session to elect the president within 30 days of the first session of the new term. The new cycle of the Iraqi legislative body began on December 29.

The KDP lawmaker also noted that the disagreement is not limited to the presidency, adding that there is also “a lack of agreement on the premiership.” 

“KDP has been clear from the beginning, and we call on the Kurdish blocs to agree on a single candidate who will represent the Kurdish people and not just one party," he said.

The KDP has fielded Iraq’s current Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, while the PUK has nominated Nizar Amedi, former environment minister and the head of the party’s Baghdad office.

KDP officials have repeatedly stressed that the presidency, which has been held by the PUK since 2005, does not belong to a single party. 

In late March, Iraqi parliament speaker Haibat al-Halbousi stressed that further delaying the presidential election is “no longer acceptable,” as the constitutional deadline is long overdue.