Kurdish parties fail to make progress over Iraqi presidency post

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Negotiations between the two main Kurdish ruling parties to unite on a candidate for the Iraqi presidency post have not yielded much progress, representatives of the two sides told Rudaw on Friday as the date assigned to elect a president nears.

“There has not been a considerable initiative that we can build hope around,” Karwan Yarwais from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) told Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih, addressing the negotiations between his party and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

The Iraqi parliament is set to elect a president on March 26, over six weeks after it postponed its session to vote in a candidate for the post in February. 

Yarwais stated that he finds it unlikely for the parliament to elect a president next week.

For months following October’s 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.

PUK and KDP have been at loggerheads over who should become the next president of Iraq, with the KDP fielding its own candidate to challenge PUK’s incumbent and sole candidate Barham Salih for the post.

Reaffirming the statements made by PUK’s Yarwais, KDP’s Shwan Mohammed stated that the KDP wants the Iraqi presidency “due to the fact” that the PUK has failed to produce a competent president since the passing of Jalal Talabani, saying that they have prepared a list of over 55 constitutional violations allegedly committed by President Salih.

The Iraqi top court later this week, is set to review a case filed against Salih on account of pardoning a convicted drug trafficker. 

Having three different presidents during the past 17 years, the PUK has held the presidency post since 2005 based on a long-standing customary agreement that allocated the Iraqi presidency to the PUK and the Kurdistan Region’s presidency to KDP.

Strongly backed by Sadrists, the KDP, which secured 31 seats in the Iraqi parliament in October’s early election, believes that the old agreement is outdated and that it’s their right to take the Iraqi presidency.

The current turmoil between KDP and PUK has caused frustration and disappointment amongst smaller Kurdish parties, who fear that the dispute could cost the Kurds dearly in Baghdad.

Dara Sekaniani, Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) MP from Sulaimani, expressed his disappointment over the current situation, stating “If we look at the election campaigns, they talk about fighting for the constitutional rights of Kurdish civilians, not fighting for a position in Baghdad.”

Sekaniani added that the dispute of the two Kurdish sides jeopardizes the status of Kurds and their achievements in Baghdad, while also damaging the stature of the post of presidency.

With the Kurds failing to reach an agreement, the Shiite factions are also fractured, largely affecting the political process as they are yet to reach an agreement on the Iraqi premiership.

“The Shiites are yet to agree on the post of prime minister and how to form the Iraqi cabinet,” PUK’s Yarwais said.

According to a long-standing 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.

The Coordination Framework, an alliance of defeated Shiite factions that was formed after the elections, is calling for the formation of a government based on political consensus, a demand repeatedly opposed by the Sadrist Movement. The movement has repeatedly called for the formation of a majority government.

The Coordination Framework is trying to prevent a KDP president, according to KDP’s Mohammed.

Iran, which wields considerable cross-border influence in Iraq, has made it clear that it wants unity among the Shiite parties, stressing that it will not tolerate the division of the Shiite camp.

Tehran targeted the Kurdish capital with 12 missiles last week. The incident came as the political process in Baghdad met a deadlock.

Mohammed said he believes the missile attack was linked to the current political situation in Iraq, stating that it “is connected to the issues in Baghdad, and to put pressure on Erbil.” 

Iraq held an early election on October 10. The vote was called in response to mass protests in the country beginning in October 2019, caused by widespread dissatisfaction with Iraq’s politicians and endemic corruption in the country.

By Chenar Chalak