Nepotism, bullishness and one catastrophic TV interview with Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr all helped snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Representatives from several political parties in the Kurdistan Region will meet in Erbil on Monday (February 24) with the Region’s top political leadership to discuss the ongoing government formation process in Baghdad.

KRG President Nechirvan Barzani has made his second visit to the Iraqi capital Baghdad to discuss bilateral issues with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Iraq to discuss a broad range of issues, with economy and security dominating the agenda.

Iraqi Prime Minister, Adil Abd al-Mahdi said that the Iraqi Government will abide by the federal budget law and continue to send limited funding to Kurdistan Region for public sector salaries until the dispute over oil transfers is resolved.

President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), Nechirvan Barzani, met with senior Iraqi officials and and stated his region's government is ready to resolve issues between Erbil and Baghdad.

Nechirvan Barzani has been sworn in as president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in an inauguration ceremony that took place in the Kurdistan region’s capital, Erbil. Kurdish leaders said that the move would further cement the dominance of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

A rash of Iraqi farmland set on fire, allegedly by the Islamic State (ISIS), threatens massive economic loss and more internally displaced persons.

The Parliament of the Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq has elected Nechirvan Barzani as the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The conflict between the two main Kurdish parties in Iraq could allow for political maneuvering among the smaller parties as Iraqi Kurdistan seeks to form a new government.

On Thursday, Kurdish Leader Masoud Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), met with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi in Baghdad. This is Barzani's first visit to Baghdad in two years, signaling an improvement in the Baghdad-Erbil relations.

On Sunday 30th of September, the Kurdish autonomous region held an election. Voters chose from more than 700 candidates to win 111 seats in Kurdistan’s Parliament, a year after a failed independence referendum to separate from Iraq.

After years of stagnant politics, unpaid salaries and corruption, Kurds have lost faith in politics. This shrunk the turnout of registered Kurdish voters for the upcoming parliamentary elections. However, observers say that this election could disrupt the delicate balance of power between the main Kurdish parties.

The two largest Iraqi Kurdish political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), are likely to agree eventually on a presidential candidate, but in the meantime several hats are in the ring.

The Kurdistan Regional Government announced that it will hold an independence referendum on 25 September 2017.

Officials of the PMU and the Peshmerga deny allegations of non-cooperation and highlight joint operations in Nineveh against ISIS.