(Exclusive) After the election of the parliament’s leadership and the withdrawal of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Washington sends a message to Kurdish forces.
(Exclusive) After the election of the parliament’s leadership and the withdrawal of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Washington sends a message to Kurdish forces.
2026-11-07
Shafaq News – Washington
Mustafa Hashim
The US State Department affirmed on Saturday Washington’s strong support for the Kurdistan Region, describing it as a key pillar of US-Iraqi relations, while calling on political parties in the region to work constructively to strengthen its institutions, against the backdrop of recent developments in the Kurdistan Parliament and escalating disputes between the two main parties.
The American position came in a special response from a State Department spokesman to a question posed by Shafaq News Agency regarding the election of the Kurdistan Parliament’s leadership after nearly two years of political stagnation, and the subsequent tensions, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s boycott of the session, and its announcement of withdrawal from the regional government.
The spokesperson said: “The United States supports a strong and resilient Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which remains a cornerstone of the broader U.S.-Iraq relationship.”
He added, “We encourage all parties to work quickly and constructively on issues that will strengthen the region’s institutions.”
The spokesperson stressed that “the United States is committed to its partners throughout Iraq who are working to build a truly sovereign, stable and prosperous nation.”
The American position comes after the Kurdistan Region Parliament resumed its work on Wednesday, November 4, and elected its leadership with the attendance of 52 out of 100 members. Vala Farid, the Kurdistan Democratic Party candidate, was elected Speaker of Parliament, Rami Nouri, the representative of the Christian component, was elected as her deputy, and Mona Qahwaji, the representative of the Turkmen component, was elected as the Parliament’s secretary.
The session took place amid an official boycott by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the New Generation Movement and other political forces, while the Democratic Party considered the reactivation of the legislative institution a necessary step to protect the constitutional entity of the region and end the state of paralysis.
Parliament had been in a state of deadlock since the elections held on October 20, 2024, in which the Kurdistan Democratic Party led with 39 seats, followed by the Patriotic Union with 23 seats, and the New Generation Movement with 15 seats, before disagreements over the formation of the government and the distribution of positions prevented the completion of the election of its leadership body after its first session in December of the same year.
The crisis escalated following the election of the new presidential body, as the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Bafel Talabani, announced on Thursday his party’s decision to withdraw from the regional government and not to recognize the parliamentary session or its outcomes, considering that the measures taken were not based on a real political consensus.
shafaq.com
