Iraq News Now

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Iraqi government prefers for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) internally to settle on the matter of the justice minister which has been a sticking point with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), according to the PUK.

A high-level PUK delegation participated in a Consultation Forum of the Iraqi Political Leaders — organized by Iraqi President Barham Salih who is a PUK Politburo member — with all major parties from the Iraq and the Kurdistan region on Wednesday. The PUK delegation also met with Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi. 

Polad Talabani, head of the PUK office in Baghdad told Rudaw the agenda of party's delegation in the Iraqi capital, in addition to "strengthening relations" with them, was also focused on "the PUK's share in the Iraqi government."

"But they told us — or I would say they preferred for us — to agree among ourselves especially the PUK and KDP, then they will have no say in it," he said.

Talabani claimed all the Iraqi leaders found it important for the PUK to "play a role in Baghdad."

During the meetings, it was discussed for the post of Kirkuk governor and the Iraqi justice minister to go to Kurds — in particular PUK members, according to Talabani.

Kurds lost the post of governor and security portfolio of Kirkuk in the wake of the October events of 2017. 

Talabani added with respect to Kirkuk that they want not just the KDP and PUK, but all the other components of the diverse city agree on a person to become governor.

The KDP, however, rejects the PUK bid believing a neutral Kurdish figure should assume the posts.

The PUK holds 18 seats in the Iraqi legislature while the KDP has 25. The PUK won 6 of 12 seats in last year’s provincial election. Another seat is reserved to fill the minority quota. KDP refused to run in the PUK powerbase, claiming it was a city occupied by Iraqi and Hashd al-Shaabi forces. 

KDP-PUK tensions initially soared over the post of the Iraqi president as the former claimed they should take it because of their overall electoral success. The latter argued it should be held by a PUK member as has traditionally been the case.

Salih eventually won the post after leaving his fledgling Coalition for Democracy and Justice (CDJ) and returning to the PUK.

A KDP delegation also took part in last week’s meeting organized by Salih in Baghdad.

"The KDP is of the view that a neutral person should assume the post of justice minister and we have already expressed this to the Prime Minister [Adil Abdul Mahdi]," Hoshyar Zebari, a senior KDP member, told Rudaw.

But the PUK is adamant that the justice minister is its share.

"As the PUK, we have been vying for the justice minister post for five months now, but we failed to secure it," Bakhtiyar Shaways, a PUK member in the Iraqi parliament said. "This is because it [Baghdad] keeps saying that this matter must be resolved between the KDP and PUK themselves."

KDP President Masoud Barzani hosted acting PUK leader Kosrat Rasul in Erbil on Sunday. Their respective politburos are meeting on Monday.