ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is laying the groundwork for a major restructuring at its upcoming congress in a bid to resuscitate the struggling party.
The leadership council on Thursday, in a meeting chaired acting head Kosrat Rasul, unanimously proposed holding the congress on March 5, council member Asos Ali told Rudaw.
Ali stressed that the PUK is an important party in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq and that the congress is essential for renewal and to further new discourse aligned with current realities.
The PUK is one of the two traditional ruling parties in the Kurdistan Region. The party’s founder, Jalal Talabani, was a global face of the Kurds when he was president of Iraq. It has, however, recently been plagued by problems, including internal power struggles, largely since Talabani fell ill in 2012 and died last October.
As part of its “renewal,” the party has proposed a 3-person presidency committee that would effectively eliminate the position of the general secretary, a role that has only ever been filled by Jalal Talabani.
Under the presidency, will be a 9-member executive council, a 50-person general council, and a 70-person monitoring council.
"Based on the draft, the membership will draw from all PUK members based on location, components, age, and ethnicities,” Latif Nerweyi, spokesperson for the PUK's Central Council, told Rudaw.
“When they talk about PUK's renewal, it means new policies and new programs. It also means combining the new generation with the older generation," he explained.
The party will re-activate committees specialized in holding the congress.
The leadership council now has 10 days to make a decision regarding the proposed date for the congress, according to Bakhtiyar Shaweys, a member of the central council.
The leadership council on Thursday, in a meeting chaired acting head Kosrat Rasul, unanimously proposed holding the congress on March 5, council member Asos Ali told Rudaw.
Ali stressed that the PUK is an important party in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq and that the congress is essential for renewal and to further new discourse aligned with current realities.
The PUK is one of the two traditional ruling parties in the Kurdistan Region. The party’s founder, Jalal Talabani, was a global face of the Kurds when he was president of Iraq. It has, however, recently been plagued by problems, including internal power struggles, largely since Talabani fell ill in 2012 and died last October.
As part of its “renewal,” the party has proposed a 3-person presidency committee that would effectively eliminate the position of the general secretary, a role that has only ever been filled by Jalal Talabani.
Under the presidency, will be a 9-member executive council, a 50-person general council, and a 70-person monitoring council.
"Based on the draft, the membership will draw from all PUK members based on location, components, age, and ethnicities,” Latif Nerweyi, spokesperson for the PUK's Central Council, told Rudaw.
“When they talk about PUK's renewal, it means new policies and new programs. It also means combining the new generation with the older generation," he explained.
The party will re-activate committees specialized in holding the congress.
The leadership council now has 10 days to make a decision regarding the proposed date for the congress, according to Bakhtiyar Shaweys, a member of the central council.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment