Iraq’s Kurdistan Region has been plunged into a fresh political crisis after the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) announced its immediate withdrawal from the regional government and rejected the legitimacy of a parliamentary session held on Thursday.
PUK President Bafel Talabani announced the decision in a video address to party supporters, accusing the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of undermining democratic procedures and disregarding the will of voters.
Talabani said his party would no longer participate in what he described as a “failed government” and would refuse to recognise decisions emerging from the disputed parliamentary proceedings.
“A minority within the KDP proved today that they do not know what democracy is, that they hold zero respect for you, the voters, and they proved today that they do not know how governance should be conducted in this country,” he said.
The PUK leader also accused figures within the KDP of attempting to manipulate parliamentary proceedings through financial pressure and political intimidation.
He alleged that public resources had been used “to buy members of parliament, and use your money to threaten MPs.”
The accusations followed the Kurdistan Region’s first parliamentary sitting to elect its leadership in nearly two years, a development that had been expected to help resolve the prolonged political deadlock.
Both the PUK and the opposition New Generation Movement boycotted the session. However, several individual lawmakers affiliated with the two parties attended, enabling the proceedings to go ahead despite the boycott.
Talabani responded by warning that the PUK would establish rival governing positions if the KDP proceeded with appointments without an agreement between the major political parties.
“You appoint a President of the Region, we will appoint a President of the Region. You appoint ministers, we will appoint ministers. You appoint a Prime Minister, we will appoint a Prime Minister,” he declared.
“Whatever you do over there, we will do right here,” he added.
The confrontation highlights the widening divisions between the Kurdistan Region’s two dominant political forces, whose rivalry has repeatedly complicated efforts to establish a functioning regional administration.
Talabani’s announcement raises the possibility of competing claims to political authority if both parties proceed with separate appointments.
The PUK has not indicated when it might return to negotiations or what conditions would be necessary for it to reconsider its withdrawal.
The latest dispute leaves the future of the regional government uncertain, with the legitimacy of Thursday’s parliamentary session and any subsequent appointments now openly contested by one of the region’s principal political parties.