Although 3 months have passed since the parliamentary elections held in the Federated Kurdistan Region on October 20, 2024, no new government cabinet has been formed. In the elections, no party was able to secure a majority on its own. The KDP won 39 seats, the YNK 23 and the New Generation Movement 15. While talks between the parties continue, KDP Vice President Masrour Barzani and YNK Chair Bafil Talabani met in Hewlêr on January 16. 

 

Journalist Aziz Köylüoğlu evaluated the obstacles and initiatives in front of the new government cabinet. 

 

Köylüoğlu pointed out that the new government has not yet been formed due to the ongoing negotiations. Köylüoğlu said that foreign intervention is also effective in the government not being formed yet, “There is intervention by both international and regional powers. There is a serious pressure from the Western front. They want a government to be formed according to their interests. Turkey is also exerting serious pressure to act according to its own interests. Iran and the Iraqi central government are also putting pressure on the formation of a government according to their interests. It is difficult to say how much these pressures are yielding results. But in the current situation, a government should have been formed by now. The normal procedure is frozen. But negotiations are still ongoing,” he said. 

 

NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE

 

Stating that negotiations and talks between the KDP and YNK are still ongoing, Köylüoğlu said, “The key point here is the attitude of the 15-seat New Generation Movement. The president of the New Generation Movement said that they would join the government if they gain a serious place in the government. They were saying before that they would not join the government. But now there seems to be a change in their views. It is rumored that they have been offered the post of prime minister, we do not know how true it is. There is also talk of an approach between KDP and YNK that the president should be neither from KDP nor YNK, but from a third party."

 

Köylüoğlu said that Turkey is trying to keep the YNK out of the new government and that the New Generation Movement has been put in place to pacify the YNK. Kölüoğlu said, “Turkey wants to form a government according to its own interests. It wants a government in which the KDP is in power, it wants a government in which the KDP is decisive. The relations they have established with the KDP can be called a relationship of interest. They want this relationship to continue. For this, they want to keep the YNK out of the government. It is rumored that there are serious negotiations through the New Generation Movement - the last time it met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in Ankara. Turkey is trying to keep the YNK out of the government by somehow aligning them with the KDP. Turkey's policy is based on anti-Kurdish sentiments. According to them, if a government along their lines is formed, they will be able to continue their occupation attacks more easily. If this does not happen, they think that there may be a reaction against the invasion attacks, that the government may show some reactions and therefore their work will be difficult.” 

 

'NO GOVERNMENT CAN BE FORMED WITHOUT KDP AND YNK'

 

Köylüoğlu noted that a “civil war” was also targeted with the intention to disable the YNK. Köylüoğlu said, "KDP has no military and administrative authority in the region where the YNK is in power. In the region where the KDP is in power, the YNK has political competence but no military and administrative competence. For this reason, a government cannot be formed without either the KDP or the YNK. If such a situation develops, a chaotic situation will emerge in the region and may even evolve into internal conflicts. Turkey already foresees this. They want to form a government between the New Generation Movement and the KDP, including other small parties, leaving the YNK out of power. By keeping the YNK out of power, it also wants to trigger an internal conflict between the Kurds in the region. Of course, how successful this internal policy will be and how much the KDP will come to this, we will have to look at this in the coming days.” 

 

Köylüoğlu said, "Everyone wants a share in the government to be formed. YNK does not want Masrour Barzanî to be prime minister again. They also do not want Rêber Ehmed to be the Minister of Interior. This is the main deadlock point right now. In other words, if YNK's demands are met, there will be no problem in the formation of the government. But a part of the KDP also rejects the demands of the YNK. In other words, they want Masrour Barzani to be the prime minister and Rêber Ehmed to be the interior minister. This is difficult and the formation of the government is currently locked. The government is locked over these two names. If the KDP's imposition on Masrour Barzanî and Rêber Ehmed is overcome, there will be no obstacle in front of the government. Of course, this is also difficult. Rêber Ehmed is also a person from the KDP intelligence centre. Turkey also has a demand at this point. Turkey also wants Rêber Ehmed to remain as Interior Minister."

 

WESTERN ATTEMPTS

 

Köylüoğlu stated that the powers outside Turkey are also exerting pressure in line with their own interests and added, "Both Nechîrvan Barzanî and Masrour Barzanî have diplomatic meetings with regional states. They had talks with Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and France. Of course, some of these meetings are the current situation of the regional government. Another part is the developments in the Middle East. Turkey wants to keep the KDP on its side in the context of the developments in the Middle East and wants to continue to use it as an apparatus. The international powers are a little bit angry about the KDP's engagement with Turkey and they want this to be overcome. They want a more pro-western government to be formed in the region. Neither pro-Iran nor pro-Turkey, they want a more pro-Western government."

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut