Iraqi presidency and Kirkuk governorship ‘can’t be for one party forever’: KDP

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Fazil Mirani, a member of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Politburo, reiterated the need for unity among Kurdish parties in the next Iraqi government on Wednesday. He also stressed that the positions of the Iraqi presidency and the governorship of Kirkuk shouldn’t remain under the control of one political party indefinitely.

“If we are not all together when we go to Baghdad, we will lose,” Mirani said.

“The KDP’s goal is not to go to Baghdad alone, but to form one delegation of all the Kurdistani sides and then go to Baghdad together to hold talks with the Iraqi political blocs,” he added.

Mirani also told Kurdistan 24 that the positions of Kirkuk governor and Iraqi president is something that the KDP wants to negotiate with other parties over, “Because these two positions can’t be for one party forever.”

The two positions, especially the Iraqi presidency, have long been controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party. 

Bekas Qadir, a politburo member of the Kurdistan Toilers’ Party, also emphasized the importance of Kurdish unity in Baghdad.

“In the past, the Kurds were not together in Baghdad. This is why we need to have one political voice and a joint political worksheet,” Qadir said.

Kurdish officials recently told Kurdistan 24 that they plan to mostly focus on the status of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in their negotiations with Iraqi parties over the formation of the next government in Baghdad.

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