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Iraq
Photo: Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (left), and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani (right). Photo: AFP; Barzani's office
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr spoke on the phone on Thursday, reiterating their commitment to their tripartite alliance with Sunnis in Iraq’s parliament. The alliance will meet in the coming days, according to a statement by both figures.
“During the phone call, they talked about taking necessary steps and [having] coordination in the positions of the strategic tripartite alliance during the current stage in order to form a national majority government,” a joint statement from the political leaders read.
Barzani and Sadr agreed that the members of the alliance will meet “in the coming days,” it added. Arafat Karam, head of the Iraqi dossier at Barzani's office, told Rudaw later in the day that the "important" meeting will be held in Erbil without specifying the date.
Iraq held parliamentary elections on October 10. The top winner, the Sadrist movement, has struck a deal with the KDP and most Sunnis. The parliamentarians elected the speaker of the legislature and his two deputies last month from the alliance, meaning that Sunni politician Mohammed al-Halbousi has held his position as the speaker of parliament.
According to a long-standing customary agreement, the three main leadership positions in the Iraqi government are divided among Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis. Kurds get the presidency, Shiites get the premiership, and Sunnis get the parliamentary speaker. Among Kurds, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has held on to the presidency position since 2005.
The PUK has nominated Barham Salih, incumbent president of the country, to remain in his position, but the KDP has refused to support his candidacy.
The dispute between the KDP and PUK over the position of the Iraqi presidency has delayed the formation of a new government, with each fielding different candidates. The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court banned KDP’s Hoshyar Zebari from running for the position on Sunday. The party nominated Kurdistan Region’s interior minister Reber Ahmed for the position on the same day.
The tripartite deal stipulates that the speaker of the parliament will be from the Sunnis, the KDP will have the position of Iraq’s presidency, and the Sadrist movement will choose the country’s prime minister.
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