BARZANI'S TERM: EXPIRED OR NOT?
Iraq… A country where the threat of ISIS is real, and the influence of Iran strong. But right now, the main political parties in the north are dealing with another issue: whether to allow President Massoud Barzani to continue as leader of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Barzani’s been the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party since 1979, and the president of KRG since 2005.
Barzani’s term as the president of KPG will officially end on August 20. He was elected by popular vote six years ago. And he extended his term in office two years ago with support from his archrival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which is headed by Jalal Talabani. But this time, it’s a different story: Barzani doesn’t seem to have much support.
WHICH GOVERNANCE MODEL?
But in mid-June, the high election board of the KRG gave Barzani a lifeline. They announced that they couldn’t hold the elections to decide on his future on August 20 because of an inadequate budget and limited time. Meanwhile, the threat on the ground would set off another debate: to review the method of electing the president in light of defending Iraqi Kurds against ISIS. Parties began to discuss two main options.
Barzani’s KDP says the president should be elected by popular vote. But other political parties beg to differ. Talabani’s PUK and the Goran Movement argue that the parliament instead should elect the president. And the question of a proper presidential and parliamentary system for Iraqi Kurds has yet to be resolved.
POLITICAL FACTIONALISM IN NORTHERN IRAQ
The debate has its roots in divisions that go all the way back to the 1960s. In the beginning, the PUK’s current leader Talabani was a prominent member of the KDP. But his leftist stance later clashed with the more conservative views of Barzani’s father Mullah Mustafa. Talabani split from the party in 1964 and later established the PUK in 1975. But the differences of opinion between the two parties eventually led to armed confrontations. Most of the Peshmergas sided with one party or the other and the fighting continued on and off for decades. It wasn’t until 2003 that the two leaders eventually came together to make a unified decision. And that was to support the US occupation of Iraq.
The debate over Barzani’s presidency also signals a balance of power that’s beyond regional disputes. The KDP accuses rival parties of being puppets of Tehran and say Iran wants to undercut Barzani because he’s an ally of Turkey. Turkey and Iran appear to be key players in determining both the future of Barzani’s political career and the right model to govern the Iraqi Kurds. But despite his future hanging in the balance, Barzani says he’d rather see the Kurds decide on their future. And that’ll either come through a parliamentary resolution or the polls.
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