Kurdish Region Faces Split as Rival Parties Threaten Separate Governments
A stalemate over the formation of a new administration has pushed the Kurdistan Regional Government toward a potential division between Erbil and Sulaimaniyah.
By Harper Collins ·
The threat of two rival administrations governing northern Iraq has emerged as a tangible possibility following the withdrawal of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan from the regional government. PUK leader Bafel Talabani announced the split after a parliamentary session was held in Erbil without his party's participation. This move follows a two-year delay in forming a new cabinet and signals a sharp escalation in the long-standing rivalry between the region's two dominant political forces.
The dispute traces back to the sixth parliamentary elections held on October 20, 2024. The Kurdistan Democratic Party won 39 seats in that vote, while the PUK secured 23 seats. A gap of 16 seats left the KDP unable to form a government on its own, requiring an agreement with the PUK and other parties such as the New Generation Movement, which won 15 seats. The KDP waited two years for a coalition partner before reactivating the regional parliament on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, without the PUK's consent.
Analysts suggest the current crisis mirrors a historical precedent from the 1990s, when conflict between the KDP and PUK led to separate local governments in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah. That division ended after the US-led no-fly zone was established in the early 1990s and later after the 2003 invasion, which codified the region's autonomy in the Iraqi Constitution. However, political distrust between the two parties has persisted for decades, and the current standoff is testing the limits of that fragile peace.
Independent Kurdish politician Yasin Aziz described the situation as a rapid breakdown in relations. He stated that the spectre of two administrations is now very close and that the outlines of such a scenario are becoming clear. Aziz noted that the hope for an agreement was dashed when the KDP activated parliament without the PUK, deepening historical divisions between the groups.
Subhi Mandalawi, a member of the KDP, argued that the PUK delayed the formation of the new government by hoping the KDP would fail to secure the legal quorum needed to convene a session. He pointed to a similar event in 2018, where the KDP held a session without the PUK, leading to the PUK's eventual reintegration. Mandalawi warned that obstructing legislative institutions for two years harms the region domestically, regionally, and internationally. He added that threatening to divide the region is an unrealistic decision that would leave the PUK as the biggest loser.
Mahmood Khoshnaw, a senior PUK official, countered that convening parliament without the PUK represents a departure from the principle of partnership. He warned that if a prime minister is appointed in Erbil, the PUK will take the same step in Sulaimaniyah. Khoshnaw stated that the situation is heading towards chaos unless the crisis is addressed rationally, emphasizing that the KDP's actions have negatively impacted relations between the two parties.
Constitutional experts question the legal validity of a potential split. Ramadan Albadran, an independent political analyst and constitutional affairs expert, said the dispute is a deep political crisis rather than a constitutional issue. He noted that the Iraqi constitution provides no mechanism for dividing the region into zones of influence. Albadran argued that if the PUK moves to separate Sulaimaniyah from the Kurdistan region without a mandate from the elected regional government, it would be closer to an act of rebellion rather than a legal act.
