Kurdish party to await Iraqi court verdict before seeking alliances

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Kurdistan’s leading political party will await an Iraqi court verdict determining the bloc that won a parliament majority alliance before deciding which to join.

Shawan Taha, a leading member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, was quoted saying in a press statement on Tuesday that the KDP will await for a ruling by the Iraqi Federal Court before taking a decision out of their negotiations with various Iraqi political groups.

“Political blocs have not answered the unified Kurdish lit regarding the constitutional demands for normalization of ties with Baghdad and the method of state administration through the next government,” said Taha, as quoted by Baghdad News.

Iraq held the first session for its 329-seat parliament on Monday, having held  judicially-challenged polls in May. Political alliances led by incumbent premier Haider al-Abadi and Vice President Nuri al-Maliki have exchanged announcements that each had secured the largest parliament bloc able to form the next government, but it is understandable that Kurdish representatives, who had won 47 seats, will be decisive for declaring the biggest bloc.

Representatives from the KDP and its ruling partner, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, have recently ratcheted up talks with political groups willing to win Kurds in their bloc.

Relations between Erbil and Baghdad had shaken due to the referendum Kurdistan held last year, in which a majority voted for the semi-autonomous region’s secession from Iraq. But both government later headed towards dialogue to resolve controversial issues, including sovereignty over disputed territories.