Kurdish leaders attempt to reach agreement on Iraqi presidency

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The leaders of the two main Kurdish parties met on Thursday afternoon to discuss the Iraqi presidency post as tensions rise in extended political negotiations in Baghdad despite repeated calls for Kurdish unity. No official statements were released following the awaited meeting, but officials from within the blocs told Rudaw that the reunion will lead to “positive” results.

The co-chair of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Bafel Talabani and head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Masoud Barzani met in Pirmam three days after Iraq failed to elect a president as scheduled. No statements, footage, or photos regarding the meeting were released by the PUK or Barzani’s office.

An anonymous source from within the PUK told Rudaw that the two suggestions presented to Talabani by KDP’s Barzani were that the Iraqi presidency post be given to the KDP and ministerial positions to the PUK. The second option was for both parties to withdraw their rival candidates from the race, and nominate a new presidential candidate that the KDP and PUK agree on.

Talabani was also scheduled to meet with KDP Vice-President Nechirvan Barzani Abdulqadir noted. However, this encounter did not happen as Talabani was presented with two options by KDP’s leader, which he left to discuss with party officials.

PUK officials seem to also be optimistic about the meeting. “I got my answer from Kak Masoud yesterday [Wednesday]. His answers were very positive … Bafel Talabani has gone to reach an agreement and not for negotiations,” PUK politician Faraidun Abdulqadir told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman on Thursday.

According to a long-standing customary agreement, the presidency lies with the Kurds and the position has been held by the PUK since 2005.

Neither the KDP nor PUK had contested the candidates of each other until 2018 when the KDP put forth its own candidate for the position. This year, strongly backed by the largest parliamentary bloc the Sadrist Movement, the KDP has fielded Hoshyar Zebari for the presidency post, challenging the PUK’s incumbent Barham Salih.

Earlier this week, Iraq’s top court temporarily suspended Zebari’s nomination on the grounds that he did not meet the conditions of “good reputation and integrity” required by the constitution. His case will be finalized on Sunday.

For months following the election, the Kurds preached to present a united front in Baghdad with the KDP engaging in intense talks with other Kurdish parties. However, the Kurdish front has largely failed to materialize after the KDP made agreements with the Sadrists and the Sunni Taqadum Coalition, which the PUK considers to be a disadvantage for Kurds.

“The KDP has taken steps independently and made agreements with some political parties without any regards to the will of Kurdish parties and Kurdish unity,” Talabani said in a statement in late January.

Support for the KDP among the Sadrists and the Sunnis could increase Zebari’s chances of winning the presidential race as they have collectively secured a large majority of the legislature's 329 seats.

The selection of the next Iraqi president plays a crucial role in the Kurdistan Region’s politics as well, because according to a strategic agreement between the two main Kurdish parties, the PUK gets the Iraqi presidency post while the KDP gets the presidency of the Region.

With disputes splitting Kurds, the Shiites are also fractured.

The Coordination Framework, an alliance of defeated Shiite factions that was formed after the elections, is calling for a national unity government; the opposite of Muqtada al-Sadr’s call for a national majority government.

Consisting of the notable Fatih Alliance and Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law, which Sadr opposes, the alliance has threatened to form an opposition if they don’t participate in the new government.

The Coordination Framework is also backed by the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and given its paramilitary power, the formation of such opposition could paralyze the Iraqi government as it may not be purely political.

Despite pressure from Iran, Sadr maintains his refusal to reach an agreement with the Coordination Framework. He reiterated his call for a national majority government on Tuesday following his meeting with Iranian Quds Force Ismael Qaani.