ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Democratic Party’s leadership council met on Saturday to discuss KRG’s parliamentary elections and alliances with Iraqi parties in the coalition-building phase. The largest party in the Kurdistan Region also said it is most worthy to determine next Iraqi president and wants broad participation by the country’s ethnicities and sects.

"The topic of Kurdistan's parliamentary election was discussed as a necessity — for it to be held on its designated time,” Mahmood Mohammed, the KDP’s spokesperson, told journalists following the meeting. "We are in a situation in which we need this election to put the Kurdistani house in order."


Based on a report by the High Committee for Elections of the KDP, some changes were recommended, and now the leadership council has delegated its authority to the politburo and the head of the party to undertake the changes. Arif Taifour was promoted into the politburo to replace Faraydon Jwanroyi, a Peshmerga commander killed in his vehicle by gunmen.

The party is hosting delegations from the Fatih and the State of Law Coalition in Erbil on Saturday.

Mohammed revealed they have formed a special committee for dealing with the negotiations with the Iraqi sides.

"Based on the principles of partnership, consensus and balance. These will be the basis of our negotiations with all sides, either Iraqi, and even within Kurdistan these will form the bases of discussions,” he said.


Balance, Mohammed explained, is regarding representation of ethnicities and religious groups within the army and the administration of the state, partnership, and a basis for consensus for alliances in the next cabinet.

The KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan will go to Baghdad together.
"We reached an agreement with PUK to form joint KDP-PUK committee for dialogue with Baghdad. The second agreement is for KDP and PUK to jointly to undertake that dialogue based on a prepared program."

Also on Saturday, Saadi Pira, a PUK politburo member and its spokesperson, told Rudaw the PUK politburo will meet on Saturday evening to discuss some issues like a future congress, Baghdad relations and the formation of the new government.

“It has been decided that the KDP and PUK will go to Baghdad on a joint agenda. However, we are waiting to meet other Kurdistani parties so that Kurdistan has one joint agenda,” Pira said.

Mohammed revealed the KDP has tried to meet with the dissatisfied Kurdish parties before and after the election, but to no avail. Unified, the Kurdistani parties won more seats than the top Shiite-Communist list of Muqtada al-Sadr.

"This neither in their interests nor in the interests of the people of Kurdistan,” said Mohammed of the dissatisfied parties unwilling to meet KDP and PUK. "They have to make up their mind to make a final decision.”

Since the new Iraq, the post of president has gone to the PUK, while the KDP has taken the presidency of the Kurdistan Region.

"We believe that KDP is the most worthy to determine the president of the republic this time," saying there will be discussions on the matter of the Iraqi presidency.

Regarding the Iraqi prime ministry, Mohammed said the KDP “has no veto.”

The KDP has repeatedly said they want to return to Baghdad as equal partners.

"If Kurds aren't part of the decision making center, how can it heed decisions made from that center?" posited Mohammed.

He said that KDP believes that all sects, ethnicities and religious groups need a say in the country, and that one sect or nation dominating won't work anymore.

Rudaw