PUK proposes shuffling top posts to break political stalemate
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has called for a redistribution of Kurdistan’s three highest positions of authority: president of the Region, prime minister, and speaker of the parliament. The proposal is part of a roadmap which the party’s leadership council recently approved as its vision to resolve the existing political impasse.
“The best solution is for each of these three presidencies to be run by a party. But this should be done through reaching an agreement with parties, especially the five main ones. Other parties should participate later,” PUK leadership member Nasrulah Surchi told Rudaw.
The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) holds two of the Region’s highest positions, president and prime minister, and has said it is open to dialogue. The KDP is now awaiting the official declaration of the PUK’s roadmap so the parties can resume another round of talks, this time debating the PUK’s vision for the problems of the Kurdistan Region.
“We cannot express our opinion about the project until it is read and debated. If there is an agreement reached among parties with the KDP, then why not?” head of KDP’s leadership council for Sulaimani and Halabja, Adham Barzani, told Rudaw.
However, the Change Movement (Gorran) is against this proposed solution to Kurdistan’s deadlocked politics. The Gorran party takes the said roadmap to be a change in PUK’s political vision and a reneging on their deal of May last year, which enables the two parties to form a joint list in general elections as well as joint factions within the parliament and provincial councils.
“We reject this article as a solution to the problem of the Region’s presidency. It is clear that the PUK has changed its position. The PUK agreed in the joint leadership that all three presidencies should be [changed]. This is the position of the Gorran party to date,” Gorran’s National Assembly member Abdulrazaq Sharif told Rudaw.
The Kurdistan Region has been experiencing two major challenges since the emergence of ISIS in Iraq. First, the Region’s financial crisis which started after Baghdad cut its budget share in 2014 and a dramatic fall in the price of oil, the main source of revenue.
Second, its political deadlock stemming from disagreements that broke out between the KDP and Gorran over a parliamentary amendment in the Region’s presidential law, which eventually led to the expulsion of the parliament speaker and several ministers, all from the Gorran party.
Kurdish President Masoud Barzani issued a statement last November calling on the Region’s parties to meet in order to settle their political differences. His initiative led to a series of meetings between the parties.
The PUK’s blueprint aims to resolve problems among the parties and the economic crisis, take steps towards reactivating the political process and legal institutions, and achieve national unity.
“The best solution is for each of these three presidencies to be run by a party. But this should be done through reaching an agreement with parties, especially the five main ones. Other parties should participate later,” PUK leadership member Nasrulah Surchi told Rudaw.
The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) holds two of the Region’s highest positions, president and prime minister, and has said it is open to dialogue. The KDP is now awaiting the official declaration of the PUK’s roadmap so the parties can resume another round of talks, this time debating the PUK’s vision for the problems of the Kurdistan Region.
“We cannot express our opinion about the project until it is read and debated. If there is an agreement reached among parties with the KDP, then why not?” head of KDP’s leadership council for Sulaimani and Halabja, Adham Barzani, told Rudaw.
However, the Change Movement (Gorran) is against this proposed solution to Kurdistan’s deadlocked politics. The Gorran party takes the said roadmap to be a change in PUK’s political vision and a reneging on their deal of May last year, which enables the two parties to form a joint list in general elections as well as joint factions within the parliament and provincial councils.
“We reject this article as a solution to the problem of the Region’s presidency. It is clear that the PUK has changed its position. The PUK agreed in the joint leadership that all three presidencies should be [changed]. This is the position of the Gorran party to date,” Gorran’s National Assembly member Abdulrazaq Sharif told Rudaw.
The Kurdistan Region has been experiencing two major challenges since the emergence of ISIS in Iraq. First, the Region’s financial crisis which started after Baghdad cut its budget share in 2014 and a dramatic fall in the price of oil, the main source of revenue.
Second, its political deadlock stemming from disagreements that broke out between the KDP and Gorran over a parliamentary amendment in the Region’s presidential law, which eventually led to the expulsion of the parliament speaker and several ministers, all from the Gorran party.
Kurdish President Masoud Barzani issued a statement last November calling on the Region’s parties to meet in order to settle their political differences. His initiative led to a series of meetings between the parties.
The PUK’s blueprint aims to resolve problems among the parties and the economic crisis, take steps towards reactivating the political process and legal institutions, and achieve national unity.