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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are set to meet this week to expedite talks on forming the new regional government ahead of the federal parliamentary vote.
'The PUK-KDP meeting will be about forming the new cabinet. After resolving the salary issue and problems between Baghdad and Erbil, the main topic is about forming the new cabinet,' a senior PUK official told Rudaw.
The source said that 'all efforts' have been dedicated to forming the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) before the Iraqi federal parliamentary elections - scheduled for November 11.
It is set to follow Monday's meeting of top delegations of the KDP and PUK, headed by leaders Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani, respectively.
In addition to the Erbil-Baghdad standoff, the meeting discussed the delay in forming the KRG's tenth cabinet, and both parties presented draft proposals during the meeting.
The Kurdistan Region held delayed parliamentary elections in October, with the KDP winning 39 of the 100 seats, followed by the PUK with 23. As no single party secured a majority, a governing coalition will need to be formed, as has traditionally been the case.
In late June, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said the KDP and PUK had agreed on a cabinet agenda and that other parties were welcome to join. However, nine months after the vote, no final agreement on the new cabinet has been reached.
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