ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A senior member of the Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal) said on Wednesday that they are in line with the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) idea to hold snap elections in the Kurdistan Region amid a crippling political deadlock that has halted government formation 19 months after elections.  

The KDP - the Kurdistan Region’s top party - has suggested snap elections as the optimal solution to resolve the stalemate in forming the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 

Abdulsattar Majid, a member of Komal's Supreme Council and former Kurdistan Region agriculture minister, told The New Region that Komal “also agrees on this matter.”

Majid, also a current lawmaker in the Kurdistan parliament, noted that the party’s president and founder, Ali Bapir, was in favor of that option and had advocated for it on previous occasions, reiterating, “We told them [the KDP] this has also been our request.”

On Wednesday, delegations from the KDP and Komal met in Pirmam, discussing the latest political developments in the Region and ways to enhance bilateral ties.

Days prior, the KDP said it welcomes any effort from the Kurdistan Region’s political forces towards the reactivation of the parliament.

Saadi Ahmed Pira, a senior PUK member, told The New Region on Thursday that the party is “open to dialogue and agreements” with the goal of reactivating the regional parliament.

“Rather than contemplating negative scenarios, we should be thinking about reactivating parliament and respecting the election results,” Pira said, stressing that they are open to a meeting with the KDP.

The Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) – specifically its leader Salahaddin Bahaaddin – has led a renewed drive in recent days to arrange a meeting between the KDP and PUK. He has met with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani – a deputy KDP president – and PUK leader Bafel Talabani in an effort to mediate tensions.

The Kurdistan Region held its parliamentary elections in October 2024, with the KDP emerging victorious with 39 seats, followed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 23. 

The two main parties have yet to reach an agreement on forming the next cabinet. A key sticking point has been top positions and sovereign ministries in the Kurdistan Region, particularly the interior ministry - a post the PUK is vying for.