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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Central Council has warned they would not accept postponement of the long-delayed party congress to March 2020, insisting it must be held this month.
The PUK is one of the Region’s biggest political parties, and currently administers Kurdistan’s Sulaimani province. It has not held a party congress, where meetings are held to discuss leadership structure and party hierarchy, since 2013.
After months of wrangling, the PUK Leadership Council in September decided for the congress to be held on December 7. Party officials reiterated to Rudaw late in November that a December 2019 congress had been decided upon.
Skepticism has now grown over whether or not the PUK will hold its long-delayed congress before the year ends.
One PUK official, a senior congress preparations committee member, explained to Rudaw English that it is "highly likely" the congress will not take place as planned. He spoke on condition of anonymity, due to the sensitivity of the PUK's internal wrangling.
The potential for delay has prompted an angry response from the Central Council, the third layer of authority within the PUK after its politburo and Leadership Council.
"There is no pretext for the congress to get delayed," the PUK Central Council announced in a Wednesday statement. "Because all the technical and logistic preparations have finished and thus we reaffirm our unwavering stance that... the congress must be held in December. It must not be delayed to next year at all."
"As the Central Council, we will not cave into any decision to postpone the congress to the next year if it is going to be delayed for illegal and personal interests," the statement added. "We remain committed to respecting the will of the PUK members and supporters."
"We will closely monitor the Leadership Council's meeting and we hope they will make a decision responsibly at this historical and sensitive stage," the Central Council statement concluded.
Arez Abdulla, a PUK Leadership Council member, also blasted attempts to delay the congress.
"There are some people who want the congress to be delayed... but the public will of the PUK is for the congress to go ahead as planned," Abdulla warned. "Delaying the congress for a few days is not a big deal. But, it is indeed a problem if we postpone it for a long time. If we do so, we will remain speechless in front of the PUK supporters."
Earlier this week, in a strongly worded statement dated November 30, a group called Supporters of the Congress called on the deputies of PUK secretary general, politburo, leadership council and congress organizers to go ahead with the congress or be swept away by a "hurricane of anger."
The group, said to be associated with Lahur Talabani, added that they will not "agree with any attempts" at delaying the congress.
Talabani, the nephew of late PUK founder Jalal Talabani, is currently a member of the PUK leadership Council and head of the party's counter-terrorism forces.
He enjoys widespread support across the party's fan base, and is expected to receive a top position in the party leadership.
A Rudaw poll asking the general public who the PUK's next leader should be has shown Lahur to be the clear frontrunner, with a whopping 72 percent share of votes. 500,000 votes have been cast so far.
"I am assuring all the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's loyals that today the PUK Leadership Council will make the right decision," he announced in a Facebook post on Thursday morning.
Mala Bakhtyar, head of the PUK's executive body earlier expressed similar concern that the congress would not take place on time.
"No one yet knows what the plans and programs of the PUK will be or how the posts be distributed," he said.
PUK’s Leadership Council gathered Thursday to decide on the congress date.
In an effort to dispel the speculation surrounding the delay of congress, senior PUK official Bafel Talabani has said the congress "will be held on December 21."
"There are no problems in the way of holding the congress," Talabani said on party-owned Geli Kurdistan Television, urging its supporters to "be patient."
"There were some technical cases which we will resolve, God willing."
Updated at 1:35 pm
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