In a meeting on Sunday with Finland’s Ambassador to Iraq Antti Putkonen, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani underlined that the Kurdistan Parliament should be reactivated as a crucial first step toward forming the new KRG cabinet.

Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections were held on October 20, 2024, with the Kurdistan Democratic Party leading with 39 seats, followed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan with 23 seats, and the New Generation Movement with 15. However, no government has been formed yet.

During the meeting, the two officials also discussed outstanding issues between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government of Iraq, stressing the need to respect the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region and ensure its financial entitlements.

They also discussed the 2027 federal budget law and the allocation of the Kurdistan Region’s share in accordance with the officially approved results of Iraq’s 2024 census.

In late September, the KRG demanded that the Kurdistan Region’s 14.14% share of Iraq’s population be maintained in the draft 2027 budget law, and accused Baghdad of reducing the Kurdistan Region’s population figures in census results.