ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on Monday asserted it would negotiate as “one package” with the New Generation Movement (NGM) in talks with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) regarding the Kurdistan Region’s government formation, amid an ongoing stalemate in the process.

“Us [PUK] and the NGM are two political forces with a joint alliance, we have a similar vision,” PUK spokesperson Karwan Gaznayi told reporters, adding that the two sides will sign an agreement regarding their joint visions in the near future.

In January, the leadership of the PUK and NGM announced that they had reached preliminary agreements to form a united front to challenge the ruling KDP, aiming to form the Region’s next government.

Gaznayi stressed that “together, in one package, we will deal with and discuss the government formation,” with the KDP.

The KDP has reportedly insisted on negotiating with the PUK and NGM as separate parties rather than recognizing their alliance as a single bloc.

The spokesperson further noted that there have been efforts in the recent periods to arrange a meeting between the Regions leading parties, the KDP and PUK, expressing hope that the efforts will “reach a conclusion” in the near future.

He asserted that while there are disagreements with the ruling KDP, “we [also] have many common points [so] that we can place our disputes aside for the sake of our homeland.”

The KDP emerged as the decisive victor from the October 2024 Kurdistan parliamentary elections, securing 39 out of 100 seats in the legislature. The PUK, 23, and NGM, 15, have 38 seats combined, making their coalition one seat shy of the KDP.

The PUK and NGM have been fierce rivals in Sulaimani for years. The alliance between the two parties came after the NGM leader Shaswar Abdulwahid was released from prison after serving five months on defamation charges.

Traditionally, the KDP and the PUK have run the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) side by side, despite the KDP consistently outperforming its rival in both regional and federal elections.

A crippling political impasse between the two parties after the 2024 elections has prevented the formation of a Kurdish government, with both sides trading blame for the dysfunction. Demands for the swift formation of the next KRG have further intensified since the formation of the new Iraqi cabinet.

A key sticking point between the KDP and PUK has been top positions and sovereign ministries in the Kurdistan Region, particularly the interior ministry - a post the PUK is vying for.