Kurds disadvantaged in majority government: PUK member

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The partaking of Kurds in a majority government could, in the long run, harm the Kurdish front in Baghdad as it would make room for the formation of a government vacant of them someday, a senior member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) told Rudaw on Monday.

“Kurds are a minority in Iraq, if we align with a majority government, in the long run there could be another government where all the large parties get together and the Kurds will disadvantage from it,” Blesa Jabar Farman, member of the PUK’s leadership council said.

Parties all over Iraq are in negotiations about who will form the country’s next government. This year, unlike before, the head of the Sadrist bloc who won the most seats in the October elections, has repeatedly called for the formation of a majority government, which means securing a ruling majority that would appoint a premier and cabinet from within its ranks.

Muqtada al-Sadr already proved that his idea of a majority works after the first parliamentary session where the parliamentary speaker and his two deputies were elected without the presence of Sadr’s main Shiite rivals, the Coordination Framework, which continues to object the election results to this day. Despite preaching for a united Kurdish front with the KDP, the PUK was also absent during the legislature’s session.

Iraq has for years had a national consensus government in which most parties were included and government members would be responsible for their leaders first then the prime minister. This form of governance has allowed Iran to outsize its influence in Iraq.

Now as the country is heading toward the election of a new president, and constitutionally this should take place no later than the end of February 8, 2022, both the PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) are clashing over whose candidate takes the presidency.

According to a long-standing customary agreement, the three main leadership positions in the Iraqi government are divided among Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis. Whereas Kurds get the presidency, Shiites get the premiership, and Sunnis get the parliamentary speaker. Among Kurds, the PUK has held on to the presidency position since 2005.

This year, the KDP has put forth a candidate, Hoshyar Zebari, to run for the Iraqi Presidency and challenge PUK’s Barham Salih and Latif Rashid for the position.

“Both candidates are from the PUK, the KDP should not have nominated someone for that position or veto any of our candidates, but instead should have made an agreement on the president’s agenda,” Jabar said.

The KDP and PUK for years abided by an agreement, more commonly identified as the strategic agreement, where the PUK would get the Iraqi president of their choice, and the KDP in return would get the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region. Neither side contested the candidates of each other for years, until 2018, where the KDP and for the first time, put forth Fuad Hussein against Salih for the position.

“As the PUK, we never vetoed the Kurdistan Region presidency as it is the KDP’s share and have supported every candidate, we have never vetoed anyone for the parliament speaker’s second deputy,” she added, following claims that the KDP has vetoed PUK’s Salih for a second term as president.

According to Article 54 of the 2005 Iraqi constitution, when the election results are confirmed, it sets in motion a process for the winning parties to form a government. Within 15 days of the ratification of the results, the president calls on the parliament to meet, chaired by its eldest member, and elect a speaker and two deputies by an absolute majority during its first session, which is set out by Article 55.

The president then tasks the largest bloc in the parliament with forming the government, naming a prime minister within 15 days of the election of the president. The prime minister-elect then has 30 days to name a cabinet.