PUK to attend President-Elect Barzani’s swearing-in – if KDP implements deal

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) officials say they will only attend President-Elect Nechirvan Barzani’s swearing-in ceremony on June 10 if the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) implements their bilateral deal.

“There is plenty of time ahead on whether or not the PUK will take part in the swearing-in ceremony of the president of the Kurdistan Region,” Latif Sheikh Omer, PUK spokesman, told the party’s media outlets following a politburo meeting on Thursday.

“The intention to implement our agreement with our KDP brothers will decide on this question,” he added.

Iraqi President Barham Salih, who is a senior PUK member, has received a formal invitation to the ceremony. Omar said Salih is free to attend regardless of the PUK’s decision. 

KDP-PUK relations have again faltered, this time over who should become governor of Kirkuk.

Both parties had reached an agreement on March 4 to speed up the formation of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet. 

However, the PUK boycotted the May 28th parliamentary session that saw the election of KDP candidate Nechirvan Barzani as the Kurdistan Region president. The PUK said the KDP had not adhered to the March 4th agreement.

Part of the March 4th agreement was aimed at speeding up of the appointment of a governor for Kirkuk, a province which has been missing a cohesive government since October 2017.

It had initially been agreed that a PUK official would be appointed, but the KDP had apparently pushed for the more neutral choice of Faraydun Abdulqadir – a former PUK member now standing as an independent.

The KDP said Abdulqadir’s appointment had long been agreed upon – a claim denied by the PUK’s acting leader Kosrat Rasul Ali.

“We did not talk about Faraydun Abdulqadir or any other [candidates],” Ali told reporters at a ceremony marking the party’s 44th anniversary on Saturday.

Since then, the two parties have traded barbs, blaming one another for the inaction on Kirkuk. 

KRG formation plans to move ahead 'as scheduled' - KDP

 

Omed Khoshnaw, the head of KDP bloc in Kurdistan Region parliament, told official party media on Wednesday that that all preparations have been made for the inauguration ceremony.

He revealed they will present their candidate for the position of KRG prime minister.

“We as the biggest bloc will nominate Masrour Barzani for the position of prime minister. Later, the presidential order will be issued by the President of Kurdistan and the process of government formation will begin,” he said.

He later told Rudaw that neither participation nor boycotting decisions of the PUK will affect the timing of the ceremony as “it will be held as scheduled.”

He hoped that all parties attend the ceremony and put aside their concerns.

Update 6:16 p.m.