The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) says it is leaving the Kurdistan Regional Government, deepening a political split with its long-time rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). PUK leader Bafel Talabani announced the decision in a video statement on Thursday, Nov. 5.

The announcement followed the Kurdistan Region’s parliament reconvening after a prolonged impasse. The session proceeded with 52 of its 100 lawmakers present, enough to meet the quorum, and lawmakers elected Vala Farid, a KDP parliamentary bloc leader, as speaker. The PUK and allied lawmakers boycotted the meeting, arguing that key government positions should be agreed through negotiations first.

Talabani called the KDP-led government unsuccessful and warned that his party could form a parallel administration. The KDP holds the region’s top government posts. The two parties have long shared power, but their institutions and security forces have remained divided despite a formal reunification of regional administrations in 2006, according to the Associated Press.

The rift follows the 2024 regional election, in which the KDP won 39 seats and the PUK 23. Disagreement over senior appointments and the formation of a new cabinet had kept the parliament effectively stalled for nearly two years. The latest dispute raises questions about whether the region’s political leadership can return to negotiations and how the PUK’s withdrawal will affect day-to-day governing.

The immediate practical effects remain unclear. The PUK’s announcement is a party statement; further details about changes to cabinet participation or the proposed parallel administration had not been confirmed in the reports available at publication.

Sources: Associated Press report; PUK statement announcing its withdrawal.