Politics

Kurdistan's Gorran party to meet KDP on gov. performance, reform efforts

The Kurdistan Region's third-largest party, known as Gorran or the Change movement, is set to meet with the leading Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to discuss the performance of the regional administration, formed half a year ago.

Kurdistan 24 2020/01/30 23:05

kurdistan Kurdistan KDP PUK Gorran

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region's third-largest party, known as Gorran or the Change movement, is set to meet with the leading Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to discuss the performance of the regional administration, formed half a year ago.

Gorran has decided to "present its notes and criticisms of the government's past six months of work in a report and during a meeting with the [KDP]," read a statement released by the movement on Thursday following a meeting between members of its National Assembly.

It is unclear when the gathering between both parties will take place but the statement said it must also outline "practical steps towards implementing comprehensive reform."

Gorran would also assess the status of its agreement with KDP on government formation, which was signed close to a year ago amid protracted talks that followed the September 2018 regional parliamentary election, in which candidates competed to join the federal region's 111-seat parliament.

The KDP won the election, securing 45 seats, followed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 21 seats and Gorran with 12.

Gorran—which won roughly half the seats it held in the previous administration—and the PUK have been long-time rivals in Sulaimani province, where both are based.

Although it took the role of the opposition in the Kurdistan Region's legislature when it was first established by its late leader Nawshirwan Mustafa, the Gorran movement in 2013 joined the government, forming a united front in parliament with other leading parties.

Halfway through the 2013 term, however, Gorran’s disputes with the KDP led to its members boycotting the legislature. Tensions decreased between the KDP and Gorran ahead of the 2018 elections and the two arrived at multiple government formation deals following the vote.

The party is currently part of the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet, holding five ministerial posts: Minister of Peshmerga, Finance and Economy, Housing and Reconstruction, Labor and Social Affairs, and Trade and Industry.

In September, Gorran also held its biennial vote to name their picks for senior positions in the party, re-electing Omar Ali Said as the leader for the second consecutive time.

The KRG has taken steps to implement a series of reforms that it considers part of its agenda to modernize the Kurdistan Region’s economy and government institutions, as well as to fight corruption in the region, an issue central to Gorran's platform.

Editing by John J. Catherine