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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -The Kurdistan Islamic Union’s (KIU) eighth congress began in Erbil on Saturday as conservative and reformist candidates race for the party’s leadership.
The congress was brought forward in order to "inject new blood" into the party following last year’s disappointing election results, which saw the KIU lose its spot as the Kurdistan Region’s top Islamic party.
Founded in 1994 during the Kurdish civil war, the party originally worked on proselytizing among Kurds and acted as fierce opposition to the established Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). It is linked to the global Muslim Brotherhood movement, and is largely considered its Kurdish franchise.
The two-day congress, attended by 900 members, is to be “innovative and pioneering,” KIU Spokesperson Behzad Zebari said in a press conference.
Items on the agenda include the appointment of a secretary general, leadership council members and voting on 28-article party by-laws.
The conservative Salahaddin Bahadin, incumbent secretary general of the party, and the reformist Abubakir Ali are said to be the main candidates for the leadership of the party. The former has been the leader of the party since its foundation, except for the sixth congress in 2012 when he chose not to run for leadership.
He then returned to the race in 2016 upon the request of some party members.
The KIU won ten seats in Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary election in 2013 before its numbers were slashed in half last year, encouraging the party to promise reforms after it acknowledged shortcomings.
Voters punished the party for perceived silence on a wide range of issues, including the closure of parliament and salary cuts across the region.
According to Iraqi KIU MP Jamal Kochar, the party is now looking to focus on social issues, citing rising divorce rates and drug usage.
“There is increasing divorce, the issue of drugs has plagued the youth. The values of the society have changed. Globalism has brought the good and the bad. If the government doesn’t address it, then others need to work on the bad aspects of globalism," Kochar told Rudaw English earlier this month.
“There is a new generation whose opinions, in the name of liberty, globalism, has changed. KIU needs [to] seriously address this, not just work on politics,” he added.
Hiwa Mirza Sabir, a third candidate for the party leadership but has withdrawn from the race,saying that Bahadin had promised to implement Sabir’s “roadmap” vision for the party.
The congress comes a week after the ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) held its long-delayed and controversial fourth congress in its stronghold of Sulaimani province.
Kosrat Rasul Ali, formerly both the party's acting leader and First Deputy for the Secretary General, was elected head of the PUK Supreme Political Council by a majority vote.
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