ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which earned the second-most seats among Kurdish parties in Iraq’s parliamentary election, will go to Baghdad on Wednesday to meet with top Shiite-list winners.
He stated that the delegation will “meet with Iraqi political parties, especially the winning lists” on a two-day visit.
“It is very important for PUK that Kurds go to Baghdad united and make deals with those parties in Baghdad which are with the implementation of the constitution and are ready to resolve all Erbil-Baghdad issues," Bakhtiar told party media, PUK NOW.
Additionally, it was the first election since the death of party founder and leader Jalal Talabani in 2017.
Talabani’s eldest son, Bafel Talabani who holds no leadership role within the party, called the moment “historical” and “a golden victory.”
The Kurdistan Democratic Party maintained to hold its 25 seats in parliament — the most among Kurdish parties.
They sent a high-level delegation to Baghdad on Tuesday, meeting with many of the top Shiite-list finishers including Muqtada al-Sadr, Ammar al-Hakim, and Nouri al-Maliki.
The leader of the KDP delegation explained they hope to participate in an inclusive government.
"We have aims; we aren't after posts. In the selection process of the prime minister, we are looking for a ministerial program that compensates the Iraqi people, from Kurdistan to Basra, for what it missed in previous governments,” Fazil Mirani, the secretary general of the KDP, told after meeting with Maliki.
Sadr, the head of the winning Sayirun faction, stressed the resolution of issues with Kurds.
“He emphasized the government moving towards resolving all the outstanding issues with the Kurdish brothers in the upcoming stage and working paternally with all the components of the Iraq people,” Sadr stated.
PUK acting leader Kosrat Rasul met with US Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk in Sulaimani on Tuesday.
“Rasul and McGurk emphasized that Kurds should work as one team with one shared agenda in order to achieve their constitutional and ethnical rights," read a statement from Rasul's website.
Karwan Yarwais, the head of PUK’s politburo media office, made the announcement on Tuesday via the party’s website.
He stated that the delegation will “meet with Iraqi political parties, especially the winning lists” on a two-day visit.
The delegation will be headed by politburo head Mala Bakhtiar, and includes Rizgar Ali, Khalid Shwani, Fryad Rawanduzi, and Saadun Faili.
“It is very important for PUK that Kurds go to Baghdad united and make deals with those parties in Baghdad which are with the implementation of the constitution and are ready to resolve all Erbil-Baghdad issues," Bakhtiar told party media, PUK NOW.
The PUK managed to win 18 seats on May 12 — down from 21 in 2014 — and also a landslide victory in disputed Kirkuk province.
It did so while fighting off the Change Movement (Gorran) and two upstart parties in its stronghold of Sulaimani — longtime PUK member Barham Salih’s Coalition for Democracy and Justice (CDJ) and businessman Shaswar Qadir’s New Generation.
Additionally, it was the first election since the death of party founder and leader Jalal Talabani in 2017.
Talabani’s eldest son, Bafel Talabani who holds no leadership role within the party, called the moment “historical” and “a golden victory.”
The Kurdistan Democratic Party maintained to hold its 25 seats in parliament — the most among Kurdish parties.
They sent a high-level delegation to Baghdad on Tuesday, meeting with many of the top Shiite-list finishers including Muqtada al-Sadr, Ammar al-Hakim, and Nouri al-Maliki.
The leader of the KDP delegation explained they hope to participate in an inclusive government.
"We have aims; we aren't after posts. In the selection process of the prime minister, we are looking for a ministerial program that compensates the Iraqi people, from Kurdistan to Basra, for what it missed in previous governments,” Fazil Mirani, the secretary general of the KDP, told after meeting with Maliki.
Sadr, the head of the winning Sayirun faction, stressed the resolution of issues with Kurds.
“He emphasized the government moving towards resolving all the outstanding issues with the Kurdish brothers in the upcoming stage and working paternally with all the components of the Iraq people,” Sadr stated.
PUK acting leader Kosrat Rasul met with US Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk in Sulaimani on Tuesday.
“Rasul and McGurk emphasized that Kurds should work as one team with one shared agenda in order to achieve their constitutional and ethnical rights," read a statement from Rasul's website.
Bakhtiar also met with McGurk.
Lahur Talabany, the PUK’s counterterrorism chief and cousin to Bafel Talabani, tweeted that in the meeting with McGurk and himself, “the importance of the coalition remaining engaged” was stressed.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment