The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Saturday called on all parties represented in the Kurdistan Parliament to return to the legislature and resume work on forming the region's tenth cabinet, a call that was swiftly met with a pointed rebuttal from the New Generation Movement, which accused the KDP of obstructing the parliament's reactivation and placing its own political demands ahead of the region's stability.

KDP Calls for Parliament's Reactivation

In a statement issued by its Political Bureau, the KDP said that since the conclusion of the sixth term of Kurdistan Parliament elections and the announcement of results, it has worked, under the direction of the KDP President Masoud Barzani, to reactivate the region's legitimate institutions in line with applicable law. The party said it had pursued "continuous messages, contacts, and efforts" toward dialogue, including bilateral and multilateral meetings, initiatives, delegations, and visits aimed at resolving the issues blocking the reconvening of parliament, the election of the regional presidency, and the formation of the new cabinet.

Despite presenting what it described as "numerous scenarios and suitable solutions," the KDP said in the statement that it had not received the "necessary positive response" from other parties to break the political deadlock. The party characterized the current situation as one that "serves no one's interest" and said it carries a national, patriotic, and moral responsibility to resolve it, citing harm to the region's democratic experience and its broader achievements.

The KDP's Political Bureau said that with efforts to move negotiations "from the streets and media channels onto the negotiation table" having so far produced no results, it was inviting all parties represented in parliament, regardless of seat count, to reactivate the legislature and allow elected members to take up the matter directly inside the parliamentary chamber. The party called for a commitment by all sides to whatever resolutions and paths are ultimately decided upon by the Kurdistan Parliament.

New Generation Movement Disputes KDP Account

In response, the New Generation Movement's High Council issued its own statement disputing the KDP's account of events and placing responsibility for the deadlock squarely on the KDP. The movement said that on December 2, 2024, the day newly elected members of parliament were sworn in, KDP and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) lawmakers walked out of the session, preventing the election of the parliamentary presidium.

The New Generation Movement further said that when a follow-up session was scheduled for December 9, 2024, the KDP bloc refused to enter the chamber. According to the statement, the parliament's acting speaker that day requested that the session bell be rung daily to signal proceedings, but the deputy head of the parliamentary diwan, identified as a KDP member, blocked the bell from being rung, citing maintenance issues. The movement also said that when the acting speaker called for a subsequent session on January 26, 2025, the KDP again declined to participate, a deadlock that the statement linked to the acting speaker's resignation on January 22, 2025.

Dispute Over Criticism of Abdulwahid

The New Generation Movement statement also addressed recent public criticism faced by its leader, Shaswar Abdulwahid, after he warned that the Kurdistan Region risked being lost if the political impasse continued. The movement said that rather than acknowledging the warning as a sign of concern for the region, KDP-aligned media outlets responded with personal attacks and accusations of treason against Abdulwahid. The statement argued that targeting the leader of a party holding 15 seats in parliament with such accusations does nothing to advance dialogue or a resolution to the crisis.

Conditions for Dialogue

The New Generation Movement said it views Abdulwahid's warning as rooted in concern for the Kurdistan Region and its institutions, and called on all parties to prioritize the region's interests over individual political positions.

The statement said that if the KDP, which holds 39 seats in the Kurdistan Parliament, is willing to step back from disputes over specific posts, other parties remain ready to negotiate. However, it said the KDP's continued insistence on what it called "red lines" over the positions of regional president, prime minister, and national security council advisor effectively closes the door to dialogue and threatens the region's democratic process.

Background

Neither statement indicated a date for a renewed parliamentary session. The dispute over the formation of the tenth cabinet, the election of a new regional president, and the reactivation of the Kurdistan Parliament has persisted since the sixth term elections, with the KDP and PUK remaining the two largest blocs in the legislature.