{
  "id": 19659896,
  "title": "Latest rift ‘single largest political crisis’ in Kurdish region’s history, says PUK leader",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/latest-rift-single-largest-political-crisis-in-kurdish-regions",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-12T13:28:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/11/12/latest-rift-single-largest-political-crisis-in-kurdish-regions-history-says-puk-leader/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The latest political crisis in the Kurdish region has been described as the single largest by PUK leader Bafel Talabani. Following a contentious parliament session, Talabani announced that his party would withdraw from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), deepening the political divide and raising concerns about the return of parallel administrations. The parliament, which convened after a two-year hiatus, elected a speaker despite the boycott by the PUK and allied parties. Talabani condemned the disregard for the parliamentary process and the influence of money and threats in shaping its proceedings. He declared that there is no parliament and that the PUK will not participate in any decisions arising from this situation. Talabani's comments came in response to Washington's call for unity among Kurdish leaders. He urged the KDP to resolve their differences and emphasized the need for the KRG to sort itself out. The PUK leader further warned of potential parallel officials if the KDP takes unilateral actions. The KDP's leader, Masoud Barzani, urged the PUK to return to the negotiating table, but Talabani dismissed this as a family dispute between two political powers in the region. He stated that the parliament session was the final straw that broke the camel's back and refused to accept any escalation, warning that the door remains open for dialogue. Talabani praised Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi and called for increased cooperation between Baghdad and the Kurdish region. He also highlighted the importance of defensive systems and the need for a common investigation into a recent drone attack on the Khor Mor gasfield.",
  "summary": "Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) , described the latest rift with rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) as “the single largest political crisis in the history of the Kurdistan region” and declared he recognises no parliament in Erbil. After a contested parliament session was held last week, Mr Talabani announced his party was withdrawing from the Kurdistan…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}