ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday expressed hope that the upcoming formation of the Iraqi government can pave the way for the Kurdistan Region's parliament to be activated to form the next regional government.

"I hope that this will pave the way for us in the Kurdistan Region to activate the parliament and carry out other steps to form the government and serve the people of Kurdistan again," Barzani said while inaugurating a strategic road project in the Soran Independent Administration. 

The Iraqi parliament is set to hold a vote on Thursday to approve the country’s next government presented by Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, with national political forces having already nominated their candidates for their designated ministerial positions.

The premier reiterated the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) support for the reactivation of the parliament and governmental institutions, after years of stalemate.

“We have been in favor of parliament reactivation since day one. From day one, we have made efforts to expedite the formation of the government,” he said.

Barzani asserted that the “election was held for a purpose, the people trusted the [political] sides so that they can, with responsibility, serve the people of Kurdistan.”

He expressed hope that all political forces in the Region “will also reach this conclusion,” and realize that the reactivation of the parliament “serves the people of Kurdistan, and in turn, themselves.”

The Kurdistan Region held parliamentary elections on October 20, 2024. Despite several meetings between the two election winners, the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which won 39 and 23 seats respectively, the two parties have yet to reach an agreement on the distribution of posts.

The KDP has routinely blamed the PUK for unreasonable demands and for hindering the formation of the Kurdistan Region’s next government. 

In a November interview at the MEPS forum, Barzani accused the PUK of "insisting on some very unreasonable positions" and hindering government formation efforts.