Iraqi president Barham Salih sacrificed CDJ for own ambition: National Coalition member
Iraqi president Barham Salih, Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region, February 2019. Photo: Salih’s Twitter
SULAIMANI, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— One of the founders of the National Coalition Muhammad Rauf said Wednesday that Iraqi President Barham Salih had sacrificed his former party for the sake of his own ambitions.
Rauf told NRT TV that Salih will not succeed during his four-year term in office.
Salih broke with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in September 2017 to form the Coalition for Democracy and Justice (CDJ), but returned to the PUK last fall in order to be its candidate for the Iraqi presidency. The founding members of party strongly criticized Salih for “diluting justice” by attempting to reconcile with the PUK.
CDJ was formed in 2018 because of the internal political turmoil within the PUK and rivalry between members of the leadership. The PUK is currently led by acting head Kosrat Rasul following the passing of longtime leader Jalal Talabani.
After his departure, CDJ elected a new leadership and renamed itself the National Coalition.
“I told Barham Salih that rejoining the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is political suicide … I never expected that he would rejoin the PUK and he told us he would continue to assist [the CDJ] financially and morally if he was given a position,” he said, referring to the presidency.
However, that support has not been forthcoming, Rauf said.
“Many people think that Barham Salih did badly by the Coalition because of what the Coalition’s members did for Salih.”
“When his group left the Coalition, they left everything,” he added.
Rauf also claimed that CDJ did not participate in the Kurdistan parliamentary election “due to Salih’s fear of losing.”
Regarding the ongoing government formation process, Rauf blamed the PUK for the delays.
“What will happen if the PUK choses to be opposition? But they are after positions. The KDP can form the new government without the PUK,” he added.
Copyright © 2019, respective author or news agency, nrttv.com | Ekurd.net
Comments