KDP leader Masoud Barzani calls on PUK to negotiate in Kurdistan — Asharq Al-Awsat
Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani called on the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, led by Bafel Talabani, to begin negotiations to settle differences and end the political crisis in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. As Asharq Al-Awsat reports, the appeal came five days after the first session of the regional parliament in nearly two years, which the PUK boycotted.
Call for political dialogue
Barzani said that the interests of Kurdistan’s residents must take precedence over any other interests and goals. He proposed that the PUK sit down at the negotiating table with the Kurdistan Democratic Party to resolve existing problems. The KDP leader also expressed a desire to see other political forces take part in the process of forming a broad national government.
The Kurdistan Region’s parliament resumed work last Wednesday after nearly two years of paralysis caused by disputes between the KDP and PUK. Lawmakers elected a speaker, a deputy speaker and a parliamentary secretary; all three are affiliated with the KDP. This prompted objections from the PUK.
Dispute over power-sharing
The KDP has 39 seats in the 100-seat parliament, while the PUK has 23. At the same time, the distribution of power in the region has traditionally depended not only on the number of mandates but also on the parties’ territorial influence. The KDP dominates the provinces of Erbil and Duhok, while the PUK has significant influence in Sulaymaniyah, Halabja and other areas of the region.
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PUK Political Bureau member Yousif Goran said that the Kurdistan Region’s political system is based on balance and a complex partnership between the two main forces. According to him, running regional institutions without an agreement between them could trigger a deep crisis.
PUK position
The PUK considers the convening of parliament a violation of previous agreements, as the sides, according to a senior party official, were supposed to first settle all disputes over the distribution of positions. The party refused to recognize the legitimacy of the session, calling it a unilateral step and a “coup against legitimacy.”
The PUK also stated that it could withdraw from the regional government and recall its representatives from the regional presidency and other joint institutions. The party did not rule out creating a separate administration in territories under its influence, including in Sulaymaniyah province, and also decided to challenge the legality of the parliamentary session at Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court in Baghdad.
