Gorran expected to withdraw from government, stay in provincial councils

SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region - The National Assembly of the Change Movement is likely to declare withdrawal from the KRG cabinet in its meeting on Tuesday but to choose to stay in local provincial councils.

“According to the number of votes of the assembly members, Gorran will declare withdrawal of its ministers from the government on Tuesday,” a member of Gorran National Assembly said. There is, however, another position arguing in favor of staying in the government until next elections are held.

Sherwan Ibrahim, member of Gorran National Assembly, spoke about the meeting due to be held this Tuesday by the party’s assembly and said: “According to my information, the same decision will be made at the National Assembly with the majority of members voting for it,” referring to the recent decision made last Thursday by the party’s General Assembly to pull out from the KRG.

Arguing that the KRG has lost legitimacy and is unable to pay full salaries to its employees and has failed to bring Baghdad to the negotiating table, Gorran’s General Assembly approved a suggestion to withdraw from the cabinet over the weekend.

Ibrahim also said that they had already held a number of meetings with the Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal) and Barham Salih’s entity and discussed post-withdrawal situations and formation of an interim government in the Region.

He added that they were going to meet with Komal before the National Assembly meets to see what their position is.

“In all cases, withdrawing from the government is a first phase. We in the second phase, if necessary, might consider whether we pull out from provincial councils too.”

“The decision to pull out is not the only thing that matters to us,” Ibrahim said of Tuesday’s scheduled meeting of the National Assembly. “ What will be Gorran’s plan and agenda, and what it will be doing and how it will be dealing with the situation after the withdrawal phase should also be thoroughly discussed. There are different positions. But the majority opinion is for withdrawal and having our ministers announce their resignation,” he added.

Four Gorran ministers were sacked in October 2015 and the Gorran speaker of the parliament was barred from entering Erbil when the party’s relations with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) hit their lowest point. The main point of contention between them was the term of then President Masoud Barzani.

The KRG has asked all Gorran ministers to rejoin the cabinet, but the party has not made any final decision yet. The party’s parliamentary faction returned to the parliament in late October after Barzani announced his decision to not further extend his time in office.

Finance Minister Rebaz Hamlan, formerly a member of Gorran and one of the ministers who were suspended in 2015, has rejoined the cabinet as an independent. He resigned from Gorran in September due to what he called lack of support from his party for the independence referendum.

Haval Abubakir, from Gorran, assumed office as governor of Sulaimani recently. Gorran has another issue to address: how it should deal with positions it occupies in local governments of Sulaimani and Halabja.

“Gorran pulling out from the government doesn’t mean withdrawing from Sulaimani’s local government,” Kwestan Mohammed, the party’s former MP, said.

“Haval Abubakir will remain governor of Sulaimani,” she added.

According to information obtained by Rudaw from some Gorran officials, Change Movement’s leader Omar Sayd Ali and a number of members from the party’s Executive Body believe that pulling out from the government and development of protests and unrest is bad for the Kurdistan Region.

Ali has allegedly told some of colleagues within the party that Gorran should consider the fact the situations in the Kurdistan Region are different from previous years, referring to disputed areas being controlled by the Hashd al-Shaabi as an example.

These possibilities have not however made Qadri Haji Ali, the key Gorran advocate of the position of withdrawing from the government, relent from his position.

A member of Gorran’s National Assembly who didn’t want to be identified by name said that Gorran could in the past two years mobilize people and edge the government, adding “but we thought the PUK and KDP will attend to Gorran demands. Formation of an interim government is currently a good choice, if approved.”

Since its formation, Gorran has most projects, packages and statements. Its recent project, submitted to all parties, was formation of an interim government which could make preparations for next elections. Gorran now thinks that the KDP will not approve this project, which is why the KDP hasn’t responded to Gorran about it.

Gorran expected to withdraw from government, stay in provincial councils

Trump says US to strike Iran again ‘today,’ accuses Tehran of stalling deal

One casualty, two missing after oil tanker blaze off Oman coast

IAEA board presses Iran over unverified uranium, demands monitoring access

Related Articles

Trump says US to strike Iran again ‘today,’ accuses Tehran of stalling deal

One casualty, two missing after oil tanker blaze off Oman coast

IAEA board presses Iran over unverified uranium, demands monitoring access