ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc in the Iraqi parliament will return to Baghdad on Saturday to resume its legislative role following the party’s announcement earlier this week to end its boycott, an MP told The New Region, coming as a vote on the next cabinet is expected in the coming days.

On Wednesday, KDP announced that they will end their boycott of the Iraqi parliament after "positive understandings were reached among the political forces," citing Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi's visit to Erbil as a step that facilitated their return.

Amid a fractious Iraqi presidential election in April that saw KDP claims of a lack of political consensus, the Kurdish party announced that it would be withdrawing from Baghdad indefinitely.

During Zaidi's recent visit, the businessman discussed the government formation process and the resolution of Erbil-Baghdad disputes with Kurdish leaders.

“This afternoon, the KDP faction is returning to Baghdad and will resume participation in parliamentary activities and sessions,” Sherwan al-Dubardany, a KDP member of parliament, told The New Region on Saturday.

Dubardany noted that if the parliamentary agenda is distributed Saturday, the session to vote on the program for government and cabinet proposed by Zaidi will be held Monday.

Zaidi's program has stressed the importance of restricting arms to the state and bolstering the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), but had little to say about Erbil-Baghdad relations or the Kurdistan Region writ large.

His cabinet selections have not yet been unveiled to the public.

The Kurdish MP stressed that the final deadline is Tuesday due to lawmakers traveling for the Hajj pilgrimage.

Ashwaq Jaf, a member of the KDP Central Committee, said earlier in May that Zaidi has received a "strong welcome" by all political forces in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, expressing hopes that progress can be made in tackling the issues during his tenure

Tensions between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Baghdad have simmered over the past year, with federal budgetary allocations, Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, and oil revenues having frequently been points of contention. 

Earlier in April, the KDP, the State of Law Coalition, and the Hoquq Movement boycotted the session where Iraq’s new president was elected, citing continued disputes and the absence of a unified position on who should assume the key role.