Click to see the full-size image. Source: https://twitter.com/LCarabinier
On November 12, Arez Abdullah, head of the parliamentary bloc of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) announced that the PUK will be running in the upcoming Iraqi Parliament elections (scheduled for May 15, 2018) according to a report of the Kurdish media outlet Rudaw.
The PUK was formed in 1975 by a group of Kurdish politics who defected from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Jalal Talabani was among them. He later became the first president of Iraq after Saddam was removed. After Talabani death on October 3, 2017, his son Bafel Talabani succeeded him as the de-facto leader of the PUK.
The PUK party is very popular in western Kurdistan Region, epically in the party’s heartland, Sulaymaniyah city. Today, the party has 21 MPs in the Iraqi Parliament and only 18 in the Kurdistan Region Parliament. However, it’s still considered the second biggest Kurdish party in Iraq.
Meanwhile, the head of election office of the KDP, Khasraw Goran told Rudaw TV that the KDP may participate in the upcoming Iraqi Parliament elections but with conditions. However, Kurdish sources revealed that the KDP did register at Iraq’s Election Commission without announcing it.
“It all depends on what happens with regard to our relations with Baghdad in the coming months … If the situation gets back to normal then of course we’ll make a decision,” Goran told Rudaw TV.
The former president of the Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, is known to be the de facto leader of the KDP. Moreover, Barzani’s nephew Nechirvan Barzani is the current leader of the KDP and the Kurdistan Region Government (KRG).
The KDP is known to be the strongest Kurdish party in Iraq. The party has the biggest bloc in the Kurdistan Region Parliament with 38 PMs, while it has only 25 MPs in the Iraqi Parliament.
The relationship between the PUK and the KDP has never been prefect due to the fact that the PUK was formed by defectors from the KDP. However, after the Iraqi Army was deployed in Kirkuk city the relationships between the two parties became even worse because the KDP accused the PUK of handing over Kirkuk to the Iraqi Army.
After the Kirkuk city crisis the PUK engaged in many negotiations with the Iraqi Federal Government and the two sides reached many agreements regarding the security situation in many areas in Western Kurdistan including Sulaymainyah city.
The upcoming Iraqi Parliament and Kurdistan Parliament elections might witness the growth of the PUK influence, mainly thanks to Bafel Talabani’s wise decision to negotiate with Baghdad.
good development for iraq.
It’s not so good because it may result in yet another bloody clash between Kurds and pulls the country into a civil war. I hope KDP and Barezani clan for once put Iraq and Iraqi Kurds well-being above their personal and tribal gains.
kurds infights are welcome!
Fight is not a solution of any problem. We don’t know one day Kurds may put whole Iraqi nation united.
their history tells something else.
Block the effer – he is a troll – trust me.
I know, but he’s so cute I can’t resist poking him into saying something funny. ;)
Dont forget: the Good can exst alone. the Bad always need complice. He blocked me (cheers! :D ), and is looking for other bad guy :)))))
Fair play; give him a poke in the eye from will you please.
In a previous comment to me, you asked: “what is “Hasbarat” & “Talmudic”.” Solomon Kupracek is an example of that.
i am winner ALFA, you loser omega :)))
My original comment I wanted to write was better, but I need to tone my language down, so what about this “The opposite to a really good, trustworthy, knowledgeable bloke, that Manc lads would immediately say a 4 letter word…..and It doesn’t start with an A,B. D and the next letters f the alphabet” ????????????
They all should stop fighting, ignore their differences and become united one Iraqi nation for the prosperity, stability and development of Iraq otherwise world population will think that to whom Iraqi land and nation left. God give wise to Iraqi nation. Ameen.
Nechirvan Barzani is Masoud’s nephew, why this error is repeated in SF articles is beyond me.
Global Research published an article some times ago which lightly explains the background of KDP and PUK. Some my find it unbelievable that Masoud Barezani even cooperated with Saddam against his fellow Kurds. Anyway, as long as foreign agents lead Kurdish parties, Kurds may never achieve what they want.
Could it be because saddam was killing once- commie kurds like ocalans,like those in syria whereas barzani is anti commie kurd so good friends with us and israel at the time and now. Apart from syria venture,barzani kurda and ocalan kurds fought one another bloodily.
I think it religious believes or ideology didn’t have anything to do with it, as long as Saddam was concerned. He was concerned with power and opposition and the “Arab-ness” of Iraq.
Barezani is not so different than Saddam, only he possesses much less power. Did you have time to read the Saker’s article?
The one above by mirzaei? No not yet but i will.i like saker.
Allow me to try to explain exactly where the Kurds are going wrong, please refer to Surah 14 verse 48, I won’t quot it but it is about End Time, my interpretation is that the pattern which we base our collective enterprises on is the substance of what we are reckoned to be by Allah either worthless or worthy, true some of it has got to do with personal expressions about one thing and another but the gist of is to do with what we leave for others to combine with, particularly the pattern on which society is based on, what has to be social conjecture that is qualified by the individual Kurd as Faith in the belief that their leadership is not cashing in on their loyalty, however not many Kurds have much Faith or they wouldn’t be sending their girls out to be targeted, worthless Kurds.
Both these parties are just window dressing for the tribal structure. They aren’t really important. This was shown when the Talabani clan decided that they should go a different route than the route the PUK had been bribed into.