Senior PUK official rejects Barham Salih’s initiative over Iraqi presidency post

"Kurdish blocs in Baghdad should elect a single candidate for the Iraqi president post."

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Hero Ibrahim Ahmed, a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) political bureau, has announced her support for an initiative the President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) had proposed regarding the Iraqi presidency post.

Following a meeting on Friday with Barham Salih, the PUK nominee for the Iraqi presidency, KDP President Masoud Barzani said the Kurdish blocs in Baghdad have to finalize a united candidate for the post.

Salih later rejected the initiative the KDP President had proposed in their meeting, stating that the nominees have to be finalized in the Iraqi Parliament.

Ahmed, Iraq’s former first lady, issued a statement on Sunday urging the PUK and the KDP to agree on a unified candidate for the Iraqi presidency to maintain Kurdish unity and harmony between both parties.

Kurdish blocs in Baghdad should elect a single candidate for the Iraqi president post, she proposed.

In an interview with Kurdistan 24, PUK spokesperson Saadi Ahmed Pira said his party would respect Ahmed’s opinion, but the final decision lies with the PUK’s leadership council.

Salih and Fuad Hussein, the former Chief of Staff to the Kurdistan Region President, who the KDP has nominated for Iraqi president, have been in Baghdad for the past few days to gather support from large Iraqi parliamentary blocs for their candidacy.

Although there are currently seven candidates for the presidency, it is likely the competition will come down to the KDP and the PUK nominees.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany