KDP Politburo Initiates Push for Consensus Candidate for Iraqi Presidency

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The Politburo of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) announced on Saturday that it will dispatch a negotiating delegation to engage with rival political factions across the Kurdistan Region, aiming to secure a unified Kurdish nominee for the presidency of Iraq.

The decision, reached during a high-level leadership meeting in Pirmam presided over by President Masoud Barzani, signals a strategic effort by the region’s largest party to consolidate the Kurdish political house before entering the fractious government formation process in Baghdad.

The meeting on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, marked the first official convening of the KDP’s Politburo since the conclusion of the parliamentary elections for the sixth term of the Iraqi legislature in late 2025.

The session was attended by the party’s highest echelon, including KDP Vice Presidents Nechirvan Barzani and Masrour Barzani, as well as members of the party’s parliamentary faction in Baghdad.

The gathering comes at what party insiders and observers have described as a "sensitive time" for the country, as the constitutional clock begins to tick toward the deadline for electing a new head of state.

Dr. Daner Abdulghaffar, a member of the KDP’s faction in the Iraqi Parliament, provided details of the closed-door discussions to Kurdistan24 reporter Hoshmand Sadiq.

According to Dr. Abdulghaffar, the agenda was dominated by the pressing issue of the Iraqi presidency—a sovereign post allocated to the Kurdish component under the ethno-sectarian power-sharing customs established following the 2003 transition.

Despite intense speculation regarding potential nominees, Dr. Abdulghaffar clarified that the KDP leadership has not yet unilaterally designated a candidate.

"So far, no candidate has been designated by the Party for that post," Dr. Abdulghaffar told Kurdistan24.

He emphasized that the leadership’s priority is not merely to install a party loyalist but to ensure that the selected individual commands broad support. "The Party’s candidate will be that person upon whom there is the consensus and agreement of the Kurdish people and the people of Kurdistan," he stated.

To operationalize this consensus-based strategy, the Politburo directed the formation of a negotiating delegation. Dr. Abdulghaffar revealed that within the next day or two, this delegation will initiate formal discussions with other political parties in the Kurdistan Region.

The explicit objective of these consultations is to ensure that the Kurds approach the federal parliament in Baghdad with a single, agreed-upon candidate, thereby avoiding the scenario of multiple Kurdish contenders splitting the vote and weakening the region's bargaining power.

The urgency of these diplomatic maneuvers is driven by Article 72 of the Iraqi Constitution, which mandates that the Council of Representatives must elect a new President of the Republic within 30 days of its first session.

With the Iraqi Parliament having recently completed the contentious election of its Presidency Board—comprising the Speaker and two deputies—on Dec. 29 and 30, the legislative body has officially opened the door for presidential nominations.

The KDP’s maneuvers are therefore occurring under strict time constraints, as the outcome of the presidential vote is a prerequisite for the subsequent formation of the federal cabinet.

The KDP leadership views the presidency as a critical strategic asset. Proponents of a robust KDP role in Baghdad argue that holding the presidency—or ensuring the election of a consensus candidate aligned with the region's interests—is a vital tool for protecting the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region at the federal level.

The decision to seek a unified Kurdish front suggests that the KDP is wary of repeating past cycles of fragmentation, where internal Kurdish divisions were exploited by other major Iraqi blocs during the negotiation phase.

Beyond the presidency, the Saturday meeting in Pirmam served as a comprehensive review of the post-election landscape. The inclusion of the Baghdad-based lawmakers in the Politburo’s session underscored the federal focus of the party’s current strategy.

The leadership conducted an evaluation of the recent election process for the Parliament’s Presidency Board, analyzing the shifting alliances and political dynamics that facilitated the selection of the legislative leadership. This analysis is expected to inform the party’s approach to the next phase of government formation.

The meeting also addressed the complex relationship between the KDP and the Coordination Framework, which has emerged as the largest Shiite parliamentary bloc following the elections.

The Framework is currently intensifying its own internal discussions to select a candidate for Prime Minister. Since the constitution dictates that the President of the Republic must task the nominee of the largest parliamentary faction with forming the government, the KDP’s choice for President will have a direct bearing on the timeline and stability of the incoming executive branch.

Saturday's discussions also touched upon the formation of the new Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil. The synchronization of government formation processes in both Erbil and Baghdad remains a key logistical and political challenge for the party.

By attempting to settle the presidential question through regional consensus first, the KDP appears to be trying to insulate the Kurdistan Region’s internal politics from the volatility of the federal negotiations.

The decision to send a delegation represents a pivot toward diplomacy after a period of intense electoral competition. By stating that they do not want to go to Baghdad with multiple candidates, the KDP is signaling a willingness to negotiate with rivals in the Kurdistan Region, provided that the final nominee represents a unified position.

The success of this initiative will likely depend on the receptiveness of other Kurdish parties to the KDP’s overtures in the coming days.

As the meeting concluded, the broader implications for Erbil-Baghdad relations were clear. The KDP’s strategy is to leverage the presidency to ensure that the new federal government is responsive to Kurdish concerns.

With the clock ticking on the 30-day constitutional window, the results of the upcoming meetings between the KDP delegation and other Kurdish parties will determine whether the region can present a united front or if the race for the Salam Palace will once again become a contested battleground.