KDP Denies Reaching Final Agreement with PUK on Iraqi Presidency Candidate
The denial came after a high-level meeting between both parties in Erbil’s Pirmam district earlier in the day. While media outlets had anticipated an announcement confirming a deal, the KDP source dismissed such reports.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A reliable source within the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Wednesday denied reports that a final agreement had been reached with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) over the nomination of a candidate for the Iraqi presidency.
The denial came after a high-level meeting between both parties in Erbil’s Pirmam district earlier in the day. While media outlets had anticipated an announcement confirming a deal, the KDP source dismissed such reports.
“So far, no official agreement has been signed regarding the candidate for Iraqi president, and any news published in this regard is far from the truth,” the source said.
The main point of contention centers on differing approaches to the distribution of key political positions. The KDP is advocating for what it describes as a “separation of cases” strategy, arguing that the nomination of a candidate for the Iraqi presidency in Baghdad should not be linked to negotiations over the formation of the tenth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). According to the party, the two matters should be handled independently.
Despite the lack of a breakthrough, sources described the atmosphere of Wednesday’s meeting as positive, with both sides expressing a willingness to resolve outstanding issues. However, no consensus has yet been reached on a “common candidate.”
The current deadlock raises the possibility of a repeat of previous scenarios. If the KDP and PUK fail to agree on a joint nominee, they could either put forward a “third candidate” or engage in a parliamentary contest, similar to past experiences.
Earlier, Ashwaq Jaf, a member of the KDP Central Committee, said that several proposals were drafted during last week’s meetings and submitted to the political bureaus of both parties for review. However, she confirmed that no final decision has been made.
Negotiations are expected to intensify in the coming days as both parties continue discussions on whether to address the Iraqi presidency nomination and the formation of the tenth KRG cabinet jointly or as separate tracks.