Shiite and Kurdish forces have reached an agreement to postpone the parliamentary elections in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region that were set for June, said Iraqi sources. They said Kurdistan President Nechervan Barzani was expected to make an official announcement over the issue. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), headed by Masoud Barzani, had announced in March that it was going to boycott the polls, threatening to quit the political process in Iraq should political powers in Baghdad fail to respect agreements that led to the formation of the Baghdad government.
The State Administration Coalition in Iraq announced its complete support to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's upcoming visit to the United States where he will meet with President Joe Biden. Sudani sponsored the coalition’s meeting that was held at the government palace and attended by Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political leaders. The meeting was also notably attended by a prominent leader of the armed factions, Abu Alaa al-Walae, demonstrating that the truce between the government and groups remains in place.
Talks between the United States and Iraq on ending the US-led military coalition in the country may not be concluded until after US presidential elections in November, a senior Iraqi government official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Washington and Baghdad in January initiated talks to reassess the US-led coalition in Iraq, formed in 2014 to help fight ISIS after the extremist group overran large parts of the country.
For the second time in less than a month, head of the Sadrist movement in Iraq cleric Moqtada al-Sadr described the current government as that of “Bani Abbas”, recalling the historic dispute between the Abbasids and Alawites after the collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate. Sadr made his remarks in criticism of the Iraq International Festival that was held in Baghdad earlier this week and that had sparked great controversy.
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