Iraq’s New Government Is a Temporary Truce, Not a Strategic Settlement

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  Baghdad’s latest cabinet formation reveals a state still trapped between militia power, oil dependency, Kurdish fragmentation, and the geopolitical collision between Washington and Tehran. By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Sulaimani, Iraq | 13 May 2026 — Kurdish Policy Analysis After six months of political paralysis, Iraq finally has a government. Yet the formation of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s cabinet may say less about political stabilization than about the inability of Iraq’s competing factions to sustain prolonged deadlock. The parliamentary approval of Zaidi’s government this week ended one of the country’s longest post-election crises in recent years. But the structure of the new cabinet — incomplete, contested, and heavily shaped by factional bargaining — reveals an Iraqi state still fundamentally unable to resolve its core strategic contradictions. The most important fact about Iraq’s new government is not that it was formed. It is that it emerged without resolving the dis...
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Iraq presidential candidate conditions bid on Kurdish unity, warns of deepening crisis

 PUK lawmaker says presidency hinges on consensus deal among Kurdish blocs, pledges inclusive government formation


Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj

SULAIMANIYA, Iraq, April 11 — Asu Faridun Ali, a member of Iraq’s parliament and a candidate for the presidency, said his continued bid for the post depends on Kurdish parties reaching a unified agreement, warning that political divisions risk deepening the country’s crisis.

In a statement addressed to fellow lawmakers, Ali said Iraq’s “delicate and sensitive circumstances” require swift implementation of political commitments to preserve stability and protect national interests.

Ali, affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, said his candidacy is contingent on a “clear and binding agreement” among Kurdish blocs on a single consensus candidate, emphasizing the need to avoid division and unilateral decision-making.

The presidency in Iraq, traditionally held by a Kurdish figure under a power-sharing system, has become a focal point of tensions between rival Kurdish factions, particularly the PUK and its main competitor, the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

Ali also pledged that, if elected, he would not assign any candidate to form a government outside a broad consensus framework, including representation from the Coordination Framework, and within constitutional timelines.

He warned that attempts to impose “fait accompli” solutions or bypass national partnership principles would “deepen the deadlock, widen the crisis, and paralyze state institutions.”

“The current stage has moved beyond the margin for maneuvering,” Ali said, calling for urgent and decisive action to prioritize Iraq’s stability and institutional integrity over narrow political interests.

Iraq is facing heightened political uncertainty ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president, with analysts warning that failure to reach consensus could disrupt the formation of the next government.

Presidential candidate Aso Faridun affirmed that his continued candidacy hinges on reaching a binding agreement among the Kurdish blocs on a unified consensus candidate, given the ongoing political divisions regarding constitutional entitlements.

He added, "My continued candidacy for the presidency is contingent solely on achieving a clear and binding agreement among the Kurdish blocs on a unified consensus candidate, reflecting a shared political will, free from division and the imposition of a fait accompli."

He further indicated that his election as president "necessarily entails my firm commitment not to task any candidate with forming the government outside the framework of consensus, ensuring the representation of the forces within the Coordination Framework, and within the specified constitutional deadlines, without any transgression."

He warned that "any attempt to impose unilateral options or to circumvent the principle of national partnership will only deepen the deadlock, widen the crisis, and paralyze state institutions."

He stressed that "the current stage has moved beyond the margin for maneuvering and attempts to circumvent the core of the political crisis, and has rendered narrow calculations of gain obsolete. It demands clear, decisive, and urgent decisions, in which the interest of Iraq, the stability of its institutions, and the future of its state are prioritized above all other considerations."

This stance comes at a time of escalating political disputes regarding the convening of the presidential election session scheduled for April 11, amidst a division among blocs between participation and boycott, and with the possibility of achieving a quorum remaining unclear.

President Masoud Barzani had previously affirmed his refusal to proceed with any constitutional process before a prime ministerial candidate is decided, considering the continuation of the presidential election without an agreement on this matter "unacceptable."

The data also indicates that the Kurdish blocs are divided into more than one front with several candidates for the position, coinciding with the differing positions of the Shiite and Sunni forces between participation and boycott, which threatens the possibility of disrupting the session if the quorum is not completed.

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