Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani the most popular across PUK party: results show
Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani, the head of Iraqi Kurdistan Intelligence Agency in the PUK-controlled areas of Iraqi Kurdistan, Sulaimani, 2018. Photo: Lahur’s Twitter
SULAIMANI, Iraqi Kurdistan,— When the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) opened its Fourth Congress on December 21, the party’s leadership billed it as an opportunity for renewal, but many of the old faces, possessed of money and political connections, were selected for top positions.
The results of internal election to the powerful General Leadership Council were announced five days later on Thursday. A total of 1,103 members of the party participated in the election.
The candidates were grouped onto sixteen lists with party members voting for multiple candidates on each list.
The preliminary results showed that some candidates were particularly popular across the party. The top five candidates were Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani with 902 votes, Bafel Talabani with 791 votes, Pola Sirwan Talabani with 761 votes, Farid Assasard with 709 votes, and Burhan Saeed Sofi with 703 votes.
Six other candidates also secured more than 600 votes each, including Aso Mamand with 696 votes, Rafaat Abdulla with 637 votes, Jalal Sheikh Naji with 628 votes, Qadir Aziz with 623 votes, Shalaw Kosrat Rasul with 604 votes, and Shwani Nokan with 604 votes.
Lahur Sheikh Jangi, Bafel Talabani, Farid Assasard, Aso Mamand, Rafaat Abdulla, Qadir Aziz, and Shalaw Kosrat Rasul all already hold top positions within the party.
Iraqi President Barham Salih, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament Rewaz Fayaq, and Kurdistan Regional Government Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani were elected pro forma to the General Leadership Council on the first day of the Congress.
The party also chose its High Political Council, which is composed of senior party leaders who will be given a number of important advisory powers.
It remains to be seen the degree of influence that it will end up wielding, but there are a number of close family connections between its members and those who were elected to the General Leadership Council.
Hero Ibrahim Ahmed, the wife of late Secretary General Jalal Talabani, was elected as a member of the High Political Council. Her sons Bafl and Qubad will both sit on the General Leadership Council.
Lahur Sheikh Jangi and Aras Sheikh Jangi, two brothers who are also cousins of Bafl and Qubad, will also sit on that body. The former is the head of the party-linked Zanyari intelligence organization, a powerful part of the Region’s security forces.
Current First Deputy Secretary General Kosrat Rasul was elected as the chair of the High Political Council. Two of his sons became members of the General Leadership Council.
Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed, a sister of Hero, also secured membership on that body.
Dler Said Majid became a member of the high political council and his brother Jaza Said Majid was also elected as a member for the leadership council.
More than five persons working for Nokan Company, affiliated to the PUK, also secured membership in the party’s leadership council.
The PUK officially announced the preliminary results of its fourth congress on Thursday morning. The congress elected 121 members for the party’s general leadership council.
Copyright © 2019, respective author or news agency, nrttv.com
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