Shakhawan Abdullah Appointed Head of KDP Faction in Baghdad Following Leadership Reshuffle
Shakhawan Abdullah is the new KDP faction head in Baghdad, replacing Farhad Atroshi. The move follows a Dec 30 reshuffle where Atroshi replaced Abdullah as the nominee for Second Deputy Speaker.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has appointed Shakhawan Abdullah as the new head of its faction in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, a significant leadership change within the party’s parliamentary delegation in Baghdad. The appointment, confirmed on Sunday, marks the culmination of a strategic reorganization of the party’s legislative team that began late last month with a shift in nominations for high-ranking parliamentary posts.
A source from the Politburo of the Kurdistan Democratic Party confirmed the decision on Sunday, in a statement provided to Kurdistan24 corre3spondent Hoshmand Sadiq.
According to the official from the Politburo, Abdullah has been designated to lead the faction effective immediately, assuming the office previously held by Farhad Atroshi. The transition represents a direct swap of responsibilities within the senior hierarchy of the party’s representation in the federal capital.
The leadership change is described by party officials as being part of a broader "framework of the Party's internal changes," designed to facilitate the "reorganization of the faction's work in Baghdad."
The move appears to solidify the party’s operational structure in the Iraqi Council of Representatives as the new legislative term gets underway. By placing Abdullah at the helm of the faction, the KDP is restructuring its command over its lawmakers following recent adjustments to its slate of candidates for the parliament’s governing body.
The appointment of Shakhawan Abdullah on Sunday—a seasoned politician who previously served as Second Deputy Speaker of Iraq’s Council of Representatives—is closely tied to a series of political maneuvers that unfolded earlier in the week.
On Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, the Kurdistan Democratic Party made a decisive alteration to its list of nominees for the Iraqi Parliament’s Presidency Board. In that instance, the party formally withdrew Shakhawan Abdullah from his candidacy for the post of Second Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament.
Upon withdrawing Abdullah from the race for the deputy speakership, the KDP nominated Farhad Atroshi to take his place as the candidate for that position. Atroshi, who was serving as the head of the party faction at the time of his nomination for the deputy speaker role, has now vacated the faction leadership, clearing the path for Abdullah to step into that vacancy.
The reciprocal nature of these moves highlights a strategic redistribution of senior personnel by the KDP leadership, ensuring that both experienced figures retain prominent roles within the Baghdad-based political apparatus.
The decision-making process behind these shifts was reportedly the product of extensive consultation.
According to information obtained by Kurdistan24 correspondent Dilan Barzan, the party’s final determination regarding the leadership changes followed a comprehensive series of meetings and gatherings.
These consultations involved high-level discussions between the party leadership and officials of various other political parties operating within the Iraqi Parliament.
The outcome of these deliberations has led to the current arrangement, with Atroshi moving toward the role within the Parliament’s presidency structure and Abdullah taking charge of the faction’s internal management and legislative strategy.
The official source from the Politburo, speaking to Hoshmand Sadiq, emphasized that the designation of Abdullah is intended to ensure the continuity and efficiency of the faction's work.
As the new head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party faction, Abdullah will be responsible for coordinating the legislative priorities of the party’s representatives and navigating the complex political landscape of the Iraqi Council of Representatives.