A senior source within the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Wednesday denied media reports claiming that a final agreement had been reached with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) over the nomination of a candidate for Iraq’s presidency.

The statement came after a high-level meeting between the two parties in Erbil’s Pirmam district earlier in the day. According to the KDP source, “no official agreement has been signed regarding the candidate for Iraqi president, and any news published in this regard is far from the truth.”

Talks between the two dominant Kurdish parties remain ongoing, with disagreements persisting over the distribution of key political positions. The KDP is advocating for a “separation of cases” approach, arguing that the nomination of a presidential candidate in Baghdad should not be linked to negotiations over the formation of the tenth Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet. Party officials maintain that both issues should be addressed independently.

Sources familiar with the meeting described Wednesday’s discussions as constructive, noting that both sides have expressed willingness to resolve outstanding issues. However, no agreement has yet been reached on a “common candidate.”

If negotiations fail to produce consensus, the KDP and PUK could move toward nominating a third compromise candidate or competing in a parliamentary vote, a scenario that has unfolded in previous election cycles.

Earlier, KDP Central Committee member Ashwaq Jaf confirmed that several proposals had been drafted and submitted to the political bureaus of both parties for consideration. She said no final decision has been made, and negotiations are expected to continue in the coming days, particularly over whether the Iraqi presidency nomination and the KRG cabinet formation should be handled jointly or separately.

The discussions come amid broader national negotiations over Iraq’s post-election power-sharing arrangements. Under Iraq’s informal political system, the presidency is traditionally held by a Kurdish politician, while the prime minister and parliamentary speaker posts are allocated to Shia and Sunni leaders, respectively.

Previous rounds of KDP-PUK negotiations have at times stalled over disagreements on candidate selection and cabinet distribution, reflecting longstanding political rivalries within the Kurdistan Region. Observers say the outcome of the current talks could shape future relations between Baghdad and Erbil and influence the stability of the KRG’s upcoming cabinet.