ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior delegation of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), headed by Bafel Talabani, on Saturday held a series of meetings with the leaders of Gorran, Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), and Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal), highlighting the need for Kurdish unity in the face of challenges during the lead up to elections.
The PUK and Gorran delegations discussed the Kurdistan Region’s upcoming parliamentary elections, problems paying civil servant salaries, and devising a “joint roadmap” for navigating Erbil-Baghdad relations, according to a joint statement from the parties.
“Both sides agreed that the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG] and the [Iraqi] federal government need to reach a common ground and understanding to resolve the issues relating to the Region’s share [in the budget] and providing salaries on time,” read the statement.
Frequent delays in paying salaries, which has been an issue for the cash-strapped KRG for nearly a decade, has exacerbated the concerns of civil servants, many of whom have no other source of income. Schools in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces, as well as surrounding administrations, have remained closed over the past two months as teachers continue to strike over unpaid wages.
The PUK and Gorran also stressed the need to encourage Kurdish voters in Kirkuk to actively participate in the upcoming provincial council elections, set for December 18. The vote will not be held in the provinces of the Kurdistan Region, but the polls remain of great significance to Iraq’s Kurds, as Kirkuk’s Kurdish political parties will be seeking a return to power in the historically-disputed city for the first time since 2017.
Komal leader Ali Bapir also received Talabani and his delegation for a meeting in which they discussed the latest developments in the political scene of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, stressed the importance of unifying the Kurdish camp to serve public interests, and emphasized holding regional parliamentary elections on their scheduled date.
The Kurdistan Region is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on February 25, 2024. The poll was initially scheduled for October 2022, but was pushed to November of the same year due to disagreements between the political parties over the election law. After an Iraqi court ruling against the self-extension of the Kurdistan parliament because of the delayed election, the poll was postponed to February 2024.
“Protecting the stability of the Region’s security and removing the obstacles before the elections were highlighted, as well as the need to make all efforts to ensure a pure and flawless election takes place on time that answers the desires of all,” PUK and Komal said in a joint statement.
Talabani’s team finally met with a KIU delegation headed by party leader Salahaddin Bahaaddin. They discussed similar topics as in the PUK’s earlier meetings with Komal and Gorran, in addition to highlighting enhancing PUK-KIU ties.
They “agreed that the sensitive situation in the region requires the unification of the Kurdish camp, maintaining unity, solving the problems and shortcomings of governance, and for the political strategy of the parties to serve the public.”
Senior delegations of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the PUK held a high-level meeting in Erbil’s Pirmam on November 7, during which they discussed the need for further cooperation to resolve pressing issues, including the Region’s finances that are suffering under suspended oil exports, and inter-party disputes that have hampered functioning of government institutions.
Kurdish parties often hold high-level meetings and stress the need for unity during their campaigns leading up to an upcoming election, but persisting disagreements and disputes between the parties after the polls threaten the Kurdistan Region's political authority both in Erbil and Baghdad.
