The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) nominated on Dec. 3 its picks to lead the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil, Iraq, and will now enter into negotiations with the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party to form the KRG government.
The KDP nominated Masrour Barzani for the KRG premiership and Nechirvan Barzani for the presidency. Masrour leads KRG intelligence and security and is the son of former KRG President Massoud Barzani; Nechirvan, the current prime minister, is Massoud's nephew.
The presidency has been vacant since Massoud Barzani stepped down last year, though he still is head of the KDP.
Parliament is expected to approve the prime minister nomination within a few weeks. The KDP won the largest number of seats in the Sept. 30 parliamentary elections, though not a majority. In an attempt to leverage its plurality of seats, the KDP wants control of both the Cabinet and legislature in the new government, but the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) wants several important positions for itself, including parliament speaker, deputy prime minister and two key ministries. The smaller Gorran movement wants three ministries, while other parties have their own demands and want a seat at the table as well. So, will the Kurdish parties be able to reach an agreement or will there be a prolonged impasse in Erbil?
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