Largest party in Kurdistan Region announces Iraqi presidency candidate

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Sunday officially announced Fuad Hussein as their candidate for president of Iraq, a post held by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) since 2005.

Fuad Hussein, a Feyli Kurd from the city of Khanaqin, has lived in Baghdad and the Netherlands for years. He was formerly the chief of staff of the Kurdistan Region presidency.

Electing the president in parliament was previously scheduled for Tuesday, but according to a statement on Sunday, lawmakers will gather for a different agenda on the day.

There are currently eight candidates for the presidency, but it is likely the competition will come down to the KDP and the PUK, which has nominated Barham Salih.

Relations between the two leading parties in Kurdistan seem to have suffered as both have eyes on the post, which the Kurds have traditionally held following the fall of the former Ba’ath regime.

The parties had an agreement on dividing power: president of Iraq for the PUK and president of Kurdistan Region for the KDP, a position held by the party’s leader Masoud Barzani until the Region’s parliament suspended it in 2017.

The PUK has held the post for the past 13 years. During these years, the two parties, for the most part, were on an equal footing. However, the PUK, winner of 18 seats in the May 12 national election, has been through multiple splits in the past decade and no longer accrues the number of votes to rival that of the KDP which won 25 seats.

Although, KDP has reportedly expressed their readiness to reach a new deal, which would essentially exchange the KDP-held seat as the second deputy of parliament speaker with that of the presidency.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany