According to reports in PUK-affiliated media, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Jalal Talabani and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani met in the Pirmam district of Hewlêr (Erbil).
The meeting, held at Masoud Barzani’s office, is reportedly aimed at determining the candidate for the Iraqi presidency. The talks come after the Shiite Coordination Framework granted the KDP and PUK time to agree on their presidential nominee.
Another key issue on the agenda is the formation of the tenth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government. While the PUK links the formation of the new government to positions in Baghdad, the KDP maintains that the two issues should be addressed independently of one another.
This is the second meeting between Talabani and Barzani on these matters. The two parties had met last week but failed to reach an agreement. Today’s meeting is seen as a continuation of those talks.
If no joint presidential candidate emerges from this meeting, the Iraqi parliament will hold its first presidential election session without a unified Kurdish nominee. In that case, members of parliament will vote separately for each party’s candidate.
The PUK has announced Nizar Amêdî as its presidential candidate, while the KDP has nominated Fuad Hussein. In addition to these names, 17 other individuals in parliament have declared their candidacy for the presidency.
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