Iraq’s Kurdish parties face government split as Baghdad’s influence grows

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Political disputes between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), headed by Masoud Barzani, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Bafel Talabani, have prompted fears about the possibility of two opposing governments in Iraq’s Kurdistan. The issue erupted when the KDP convened a parliamentary session in Erbil without the PUK’s participation. Bafel Talabani, the head of the PUK, later announced his party’s resignation from the regional government, increasing the likelihood of a breakaway administration centered in Sulaymaniyah. The KDP, headed by former Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani, is the region’s major political party, having primary bases in Erbil and Duhok. The PUK, led by Bafel Talabani, the son of former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, has its major stronghold in Sulaymaniyah. Despite strong political conflicts, the two parties have traditionally shared power in the autonomous territory. The widening split comes as Iraq’s federal government in Baghdad strengthens its control over disputed territory, notably Kirkuk and sections of Nineveh province, including Mosul. Following the Kurdistan Region’s independence vote in 2017, Baghdad reasserted federal sovereignty over Kirkuk and numerous contested territories. Mosul, however, remains under federal control, with Kurdish groups vying for political power in the surrounding districts. A sustained schism between Barzani’s KDP and Talabani’s PUK might erode the Kurdistan Regional Government’s bargaining power with Baghdad over oil income, public-sector wages, budget transfers, and disputed territory. The likelihood of rival Kurdish administrations has heightened fears about political fragmentation, possibly increasing Baghdad’s clout as the two parties battle to reach an agreement on a single regional government.