Kurdistan Democratic Party Marks 80th Anniversary With Pledge to Protect the Region and Build a Tenth Cabinet
KDP Political Bureau issues landmark statement, vowing continued commitment to Kurdish national rights, democratic values, and regional stability as the party enters its ninth decade
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The Kurdistan Democratic Party marked the 80th anniversary of its founding on Sunday with a sweeping statement from its Political Bureau reaffirming its commitment to protecting the Kurdistan Region's constitutional status, building a strong Tenth Cabinet, strengthening democratic foundations, and keeping the Region insulated from the conflicts and instability surrounding it.
The Political Bureau's statement, issued on the occasion of August 16, the date the KDP was established in 1946, honored the sacrifices of generations of Peshmerga fighters and party members while laying out a forward-looking agenda centered on governance, unity, and national responsibility.
Eighty Years of Struggle and Sacrifice
The Political Bureau opened its statement by describing August 16 not merely as the anniversary of a political party's founding, but as the embodiment of a freedom-seeking will that rejected oppression through the wise path of the immortal Barzani, who laid the contemporary foundations of Kurdish identity and advanced the Kurdistan liberation movement through revolutionary values.
The statement traced the KDP's eight decades of struggle across the September Revolution, the Golan movement, the March 11 Agreement, and the 1991 uprising, describing them as evidence that the party has consistently stood as a vanguard force backed by the people and all national and religious components of Kurdish society, always pursuing national goals through a culture of dialogue.
"Loyalty to the party's history and the sacrifices of its fighters is not merely a remembrance," the statement said. "It is a national and patriotic responsibility toward the present and the future."
Protecting the Region, Building the Tenth Cabinet
The Political Bureau used the anniversary to articulate a clear set of governing priorities for the period ahead. Chief among them is keeping the Kurdistan Region away from the political crises, conflicts, and confrontations surrounding it, and preventing the Region from becoming a venue for threatening the security of neighboring countries.
The statement called for strengthening the Region's constitutional status, reactivating parliament as a historic duty, forming a strong Tenth Cabinet and government, and reinforcing unity while respecting the diversity of the Region's components. It also called for broadening stability and coexistence in the Region, and resolving the problems and challenges facing citizens through every available means, in pursuit of a dignified life.
"The self-reliant and patient people of the Kurdistan Region have proven in past years that their love for their homeland and their people is above all else," the statement said. "Therefore we consider it our duty to work with all our capacity to resolve problems and challenges in the direction of providing security and the necessities of a dignified life."
A Hand Extended to All Iraqi Political Forces
On the occasion of August 16, the KDP's Political Bureau extended a hand of friendship and cooperation to all political parties participating in Iraq's political process, calling on all sides, regardless of political opinion, religious belief, or sectarian affiliation, to work together to make Iraq a country for everyone and to keep it away from entanglement in the region's wars and conflicts.
"All components together, with responsibility, should adopt a correct and modern form of governance, and this is in the interest of the people of Iraq," the statement said, adding that Iraq has suffered from too many problems and that the people of Iraq can no longer bear further hardship. "This is a moral, patriotic, and religious responsibility."
A Renewed Pledge to Masoud Barzani and the Kurdish People
The Political Bureau closed its statement with a direct pledge to the people of Kurdistan and to KDP President Masoud Barzani, vowing to continue on the authentic Kurdish path of protecting the Region's framework and strengthening the foundations of democracy and coexistence.
The statement paid tribute to KDP founder Mustafa Barzani, described as the immortal founder and leader of the Kurdish path, to the late Idris Barzani, and to all the martyrs of Kurdistan. It also extended congratulations and appreciation to the party's cadres, members, and supporters, and to the heroic Peshmerga forces and the self-reliant people of the Kurdistan Region.
"Victory to the righteous struggle of our people. May the flag of Kurdistan rise high and proud," the statement concluded.