President Barzani urges Kurdish unity for upcoming elections
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday called on Kurdish political parties to work together to run a successful election campaign while attending the congress of a rival party in Sulaimani, with the region expected to hold its parliamentary elections in February 2024.
“Election needs to be the priority as it is the basic principle for the legitimacy of authority and governance in Kurdistan Region," said Barzani during a speech at the congress of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) held in Sulaimani.
Barzani said that the Kurdish political parties must work together to ensure a successful election campaign next February.
“A strong Kurdistan Region can have a better role, presence, and impact in Baghdad and all over Iraq,” said Barzani, adding that a stronger Kurdistan Region would also better defend its achievements and constitutional rights.
In August, Barzani set February 25, 2024 as the date for the Region's parliamentary election. The vote had been postponed twice before the announcement due to political tension between the Kurdish parties.
A new parliamentary vote was set to be held in October 2022, but disagreements between the Kurdish political parties, especially the ruling ones, over the existing elections law and the electoral commission prevented the process from being conducted according to schedule and pushed the legislature to extend its four-year term for an additional year.
The Kurdistan Region Presidency set November 18 as a date for the poll but the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court in May ruled the self-extension of the Kurdistan parliament “unconstitutional” and dissolved it. This further complicated the issue.
Barzani delivered his speech at the fifth congress of the PUK in Sulaimani, which he attended upon invitation by PUK Leader Bafel Talabani, together with several other Iraqi and Kurdish governmental and political figures.
“We are here in one spirit to strengthen the PUK and serve our nation,” Talabani said during the opening speech of the congress, stating that his party was “starting a new phase” in which it has to reconcile with the people and unite the party.
“This is the last time I speak to you as the president of the PUK. In five minutes I will be an ordinary member. I thank you all for allowing me to struggle with you for the past two years,” added Talabani.
The PUK will vote on a president during the congress, determining whether Talabani will continue leading the party or not.
The congress takes place at a time when the party is riddled with internal issues. Many senior members have either not been invited or have refused to attend it, including Talabani’s father-in-law Mala Bakhtiar.
After more than two years of absence from politics, ousted co-chair of the PUK, Lahur Talabany said on Tuesday that he will challenge the current leadership of his party by taking part in the February 25 parliamentary election in the Kurdistan Region under a new list, without disclosing its name.
The former co-chair of the party, which controls Sulaimani province, said PUK’s Bafel Talabani and his brother Qubad Talabani - who is also the deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) - are “responsible for what is happening within the PUK and the Region,” referring to PUK’s internal issues and the security, political and financial issues the Kurdistan Region suffers from.
In a damning video statement on Monday, Bakhtiar - a longtime friend of late PUK founder Jalal Talabani and a veteran Peshmerga - criticized the current leadership of the party, saying the congress is being held in a rush and without coordination with many senior members, such as himself.
He said that it used to take them six months in the past to prepare for a congress to make sure the process was fair and democratic, claiming that the upcoming one does not meet such criteria. Bakhtiar went as far as accusing the PUK leadership of violating the party’s bylaw when it comes to how the congress is being held.
“Election needs to be the priority as it is the basic principle for the legitimacy of authority and governance in Kurdistan Region," said Barzani during a speech at the congress of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) held in Sulaimani.
Barzani said that the Kurdish political parties must work together to ensure a successful election campaign next February.
“A strong Kurdistan Region can have a better role, presence, and impact in Baghdad and all over Iraq,” said Barzani, adding that a stronger Kurdistan Region would also better defend its achievements and constitutional rights.
In August, Barzani set February 25, 2024 as the date for the Region's parliamentary election. The vote had been postponed twice before the announcement due to political tension between the Kurdish parties.
A new parliamentary vote was set to be held in October 2022, but disagreements between the Kurdish political parties, especially the ruling ones, over the existing elections law and the electoral commission prevented the process from being conducted according to schedule and pushed the legislature to extend its four-year term for an additional year.
The Kurdistan Region Presidency set November 18 as a date for the poll but the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court in May ruled the self-extension of the Kurdistan parliament “unconstitutional” and dissolved it. This further complicated the issue.
Barzani delivered his speech at the fifth congress of the PUK in Sulaimani, which he attended upon invitation by PUK Leader Bafel Talabani, together with several other Iraqi and Kurdish governmental and political figures.
“We are here in one spirit to strengthen the PUK and serve our nation,” Talabani said during the opening speech of the congress, stating that his party was “starting a new phase” in which it has to reconcile with the people and unite the party.
“This is the last time I speak to you as the president of the PUK. In five minutes I will be an ordinary member. I thank you all for allowing me to struggle with you for the past two years,” added Talabani.
The PUK will vote on a president during the congress, determining whether Talabani will continue leading the party or not.
The congress takes place at a time when the party is riddled with internal issues. Many senior members have either not been invited or have refused to attend it, including Talabani’s father-in-law Mala Bakhtiar.
After more than two years of absence from politics, ousted co-chair of the PUK, Lahur Talabany said on Tuesday that he will challenge the current leadership of his party by taking part in the February 25 parliamentary election in the Kurdistan Region under a new list, without disclosing its name.
The former co-chair of the party, which controls Sulaimani province, said PUK’s Bafel Talabani and his brother Qubad Talabani - who is also the deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) - are “responsible for what is happening within the PUK and the Region,” referring to PUK’s internal issues and the security, political and financial issues the Kurdistan Region suffers from.
In a damning video statement on Monday, Bakhtiar - a longtime friend of late PUK founder Jalal Talabani and a veteran Peshmerga - criticized the current leadership of the party, saying the congress is being held in a rush and without coordination with many senior members, such as himself.
He said that it used to take them six months in the past to prepare for a congress to make sure the process was fair and democratic, claiming that the upcoming one does not meet such criteria. Bakhtiar went as far as accusing the PUK leadership of violating the party’s bylaw when it comes to how the congress is being held.