President Barzani expects ‘new beginning’ for Iraq after elections

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Friday said Iraq’s parliamentary elections should mark “a new beginning” for implementing the constitution and resolving longstanding disputes between Baghdad and Erbil, stressing that ignoring Kurdish rights threatens Iraq’s political stability.

“I believe this election ushers in a new beginning in Iraq,” Barzani said in an interview with Rudaw’s Hevidar Ahmed that aired on Friday, adding that the period following the vote should be called “a new beginning in Iraq to implement the Iraqi constitution.”

Barzani is a deputy leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

Leaders from both the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have long accused Baghdad of violating constitutional provisions that guarantee the Kurdistan Region’s autonomy - a message that has dominated their recent electoral campaigns.

Barzani said that Iraq’s stability depends on addressing Kurdish concerns.

“Do they want Iraq to have political stability? The key to solving this problem is that they must reach an agreement with the Kurds,” he said. “Ignoring the solution to problems between Baghdad and Erbil is a headache for all of Iraq, it's bigger than a headache.”

He warned that Baghdad’s current approach undermines federalism.

“What we also see in Baghdad is that your attitude toward the Kurdistan Region resembles everything except federalism,” he said, adding that the federal government’s financial treatment of the Region “it's so centralized, so centralized, no federal system has such a thing.”

The Kurdistan Region held its long-delayed parliamentary elections in October 2024, with the ruling KDP winning 39 out of 100 seats and the PUK securing 23. The two parties, however, have been unable to form a new cabinet.

Barzani downplayed tensions between them. “We are two different parties. But in the end, with the PUK and with other sides too, we must sit together and solve things through dialogue at the negotiation table,” he said.

The following is the full interview:

Rudaw: Mr. Nechirvan, in our program ‘Who is Strong?’ we said: those who have money are strong, those who have power are strong, those who have weapons are strong, but the people are stronger. Who is strong?

Nechirvan Barzani: If you don't have the people, all the others are nothing. The first condition for being strong is that the nation is with you. We are certain that the nation is with the KDP. The Kurdistani people are with the KDP. All components of Kurdistan support the KDP, and we consider this the strength of the party.

What has made the people have so much trust in the KDP? Once I said, every party says the KDP will lose this election, but when elections come, the KDP maintains its support. Why are these people so attached to you?

You know how it is? If you look at history, since the day the KDP was founded it was created for one purpose. The KDP’s goal has been Kurdistan. The KDP has been a tool, His excellency the president [Masoud Barzani] has said this many times and we continue on this path. We consider the KDP a tool, we consider Kurdistan the goal. In the KDP’s history, this party from day one until now has walked on this path. I believe the KDP’s strength is in this. The KDP’s strength is in its people, nothing else. The people of Kurdistan trust this path, they trust this party that can fulfill the aspirations that the people of Kurdistan have worked so hard for.

How do you view the people, Mr. Nechirvan? As the KDP leadership, as Nechirvan Idris Barzani, how do you view these people? It's always been difficult after October 16 [when Iraq retook control of Kirkuk in 2017], but election after election, the people support the KDP. These people stand behind you.

I cannot find the word, but we are proud and honored. We have great self-confidence in one thing, which is that the people of Kurdistan trust the KDP and this is our strength and source. I want to say we thank them. Many times our opponents have dreamed that the KDP would weaken, that the KDP would disappear, but this nation has always supported the KDP. Look, for example, in 1975, it was believed that after the defeat of 1975 the KDP would be finished, but it came back again. How did it come back? It came back very strongly with the people's support. It wasn't about weapons or material capabilities.

There was no money either?

No money or anything else, but the support of the people of Kurdistan. It was the trust of the people of Kurdistan in the KDP. Once again the KDP returned to the arena and continues for 79 years now. This has created a belief, Mr. Hevidar, among the people that the KDP can achieve those goals that the people of Kurdistan truly aspire to.

In Duhok you said the secret of the KDP’s strength is the people. What's the code?

It's trust - trust in the past, trust in the present, trust in the future. The trust that the people of Kurdistan have in the KDP. We have been honest with our people. We have done what we could do and told them when we couldn't do something. I believe this honesty in the KDP’s struggle has been a strong source of the belief that people have in the KDP.

In this election you've been very active and energetic, going from city to city. Why is this election important? You said this election is more important than any other election.

There's no election that isn't important.

Why were you so energetic?

We're energetic because I believe this election ushers in a new beginning in Iraq. Look Mr. Hevidar, since 2005 when the constitution was drafted and passed, Iraq has gone through very difficult phases, but if we look at Iraq now, we see that security-wise Iraq is better, economically Iraq is somewhat better, so we must call these elections and post-election era a new beginning in Iraq for implementing Iraq's constitution.

Mr. Nechirvan, you're carrying a heavy burden regarding this one million votes challenge. Some say it's very difficult, but they say it's easy for him. Tell us, what is this million votes challenge?

In every election, a goal must be set. Our goal as the KDP is to get one million votes during this election.

Is it easy?

It’s not impossible. Why is it easy? We see it's easy with the people's support, meaning the enthusiasm we see among the people, based on that we say, yes it's easy. And even more than one million. One million votes was where we started. When we saw the people, the people's enthusiasm raised our expectations somewhat.

I was in Akre near a mosque. Someone said ‘By the blessing of this mosque, we'll bring one million votes.’

God willing, it will be more than one million. What we're asking for, by the blessing of that mosque, we're asking for more than one million.

Then you should reward the people after garnering one million votes.

Certainly, whatever we can do, we will do. As I said, our goal is to serve, and whatever we can do in service, we will do.

Mr. Nechirvan, this is the second election. In Kurdistan's election you called on people to vote for you and they did so. Now you are once again calling on people to vote for you, citing the importance of the process. People go and vote. This is the second election. What will you do for these people?

Last year's election that we held was an important election and we thank the people for their trust and support for the KDP and for Kurdistan. We hope the response to that vote will be that after this election we can calmly and carefully read Kurdistan's situation, that we can form a government that has the trust of all Kurdistan's components. That's enough for us. I believe after these elections the path won't be difficult, but easier, with God's support, for forming that government.

Some say it will be very difficult and the files will get mixed up, there needs to be a man who is Nechirvan Barzani. How do you separate the files and fix the broken table between the KDP and the PUK.

It's not that broken.

People see it that way.

 This issue between the PUK and the KDP, I've said before that we've passed the stage where things between the PUK and the KDP could break so badly that we couldn't fix them. There are problems, I don't say there aren't, we are two different parties. But in the end, with the PUK and with other sides too, we must sit together and solve things through dialogue at the negotiation table.

You said it is easy.

I don't say it's easy, I say we must do it, but I don't think it's impossible.

In previous elections you warned that the situation was dangerous and that there would be a war if you didn’t win, but this time your campaign is calm and you didn’t mention wars and threats. You focused on projects instead.

This shows that the awareness of Kurdistan's people is increasing day by day. If we look at Kurdistan's history, we see that in the past when there was a problem, everyone feared armed conflict would occur. Now no one in Kurdistan fears that. There are problems, there are issues, we don't think alike, but no one even thinks about resorting to weapons and such things. This shows that the awareness of Kurdistan's people has increased. As you said, if it's about services and work, we've made a statement in the election campaign and said the people of Kurdistan have entrusted the development agenda to the KDP. Look at Kurdistan, we don't say Kurdistan has no problems, we don't say we've done great things. What the KDP does is not a favor, it's to serve the people. Now look at Kurdistan. From every perspective it's not the Kurdistan of before. These problems will be solved…

Should I be confident now?

Confident about what?

That the problems between the KDP and the PUK will be solved.

I believe they will be solved.

So will they be solved?

Based on my information I say this: I believe it’s not a big issue and it will be solved, God willing.

Won't you give us some coffee?

Coffee? By all means, please.

After that I will ask what you will do after going to Baghdad. After the coffee.

After the coffee? Fine.

Mr. Nechirvan, the coffee hasn't come.

It's coming now, Hevidar. Bring a coffee for Hevidar, he's getting impatient.

Before the break, we discussed that now people are going to vote for the second time, there's no clear vision, honestly. Will Iraq fall apart? Will it be rebuilt? For example, there are wealthy people, there are salary earners. After this election, what will Iraq's situation be? Will it fall apart or improve? What will the Kurds do there?

If we look at the policies of international countries, their official policies, they want a strong and stable Kurdistan Region within Iraq's framework. Until now, what we see is support for Iraq to be stable politically and in its situation and to develop, this is at the international level. Well, in the end, according to geography, we still live in a country called Iraq. We must practise politics in Baghdad. Where else should we do it? I've said this many times and want to repeat it, Baghdad is Kurdistan's strategic depth. We say with conviction that we must find a solution with Baghdad for all these problems. The question is, do they want Iraq to develop? Do they want Iraq to have political stability? The key to solving this problem is that they must reach an agreement with the Kurds. Baghdad has no other way.

You visit Baghdad often. Does that mentality exist there?

I always tell them seriously that ignoring the solution to problems between Baghdad and Erbil is a headache for all of Iraq, it's bigger than a headache, but if they think wisely in Baghdad, solving problems with the Kurdistan Region will take Iraq to a much more advanced stage. The Kurdistan Region has passed the stage where some people or its opponents want to take away its powers. We've passed that stage. Kurdistan has passed that stage. We're backed by our own people, we're supported by Iraq's constitution, by foreign countries and foreign powers, even regional powers. Kurdistan has passed that stage.

For Iraq, especially those who now rule Iraq, if they carefully look at Iraq's situation in terms of politics and solve their problems with the Kurdistan Region through dialogue, Iraq will enter a very good phase. You mentioned Baghdad. In my visits I've often told them, ‘When you look at the Region, you think the Kurdistan Region's attitude is not only not federal but acts like an independent country. But what we also see in Baghdad is that your attitude toward the Kurdistan Region resembles everything except federalism. Let's sit at a table. Let's talk together.’ What's a middle solution that will both stabilize Iraq and benefit all Iraq's peoples, including Kurds, Arabs and all of them.

After this election you'll go back to Baghdad. Do you think the situation will improve?

I predict it will be better.

Who will you align with? Nouri al-Maliki? Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani?

It's still early, because the election results will show that.

Is it clear whom you will align with?

We don't have that kind of clarity now because elections themselves contain many surprises.

You'll get one million votes.

We will get more. You keep saying one million. I have said one million and something. With the support of Kurdistan's people we'll go to Baghdad with strength and clarity. These four years we must do something to truly implement Iraq's constitution and solve these political problems. Let me mention something, for example, look at how Baghdad deals with the Kurdistan Region on financial matters. Kurds say ‘it's not in any spice shop,’ it's so centralized, so centralized, no federal system has such a thing.

Don't you tell them not to do this?

Certainly, wherever we go - this applies to all Kurdistani [political] forces - the first thing should be: how to solve this? Iraq's laws are very centralized, they're from Saddam's era, even pre-Saddam laws. These must be changed because Iraq's entire system has changed. We have a country with a federal system, so according to that federalism the laws and things must be changed too.

Will Kurdistan forces each go to Baghdad in separate taxis or will they get on a bus together?

By God, if they don't get on the bus, they'll all lose, we'll all lose. Despite whatever problems we have among ourselves here, we must try to have a unified discourse on the main issues that relate to all of the Kurdistan Region.

Does the KDP have a plan for this?

Definitely, we have a plan. That will be our main effort to create consensus among all Kurdistan’s forces.

You have relationships with the USA, the Gulf, Turkey, Syria’s Ahmad al-Sharaa, Iran, with everyone. What do they say about Kurdistan's situation? Is there support? Is there anything optimistic?

There is 100 percent support for the Kurdistan Region. The policy of all those countries you mentioned is for a strong region within the framework of a federal democratic Iraq. That's the title of it. Yes, there is support for the Region, but along with that, as friends they also complain about us. They complain and say why haven't you formed a government yet. These complaints are normal. The Kurdistan Region may have problems in many ways, but we believe it's on the right track. That track is important. I see the Kurdistan Region's future as good, not bad. We have international support, we have regional support. The Kurdistan Region has now become a reality.

Is there any closed, tightly locked door between the KDP and the PUK that cannot be opened?

No, there is no door.

Are the keys with you?

The keys are not with me, but there is no door that will remain locked and I don’t think such a thing exists. We've had much worse situations. We have talked before, we've sat together and found solutions to our problems. We'll do the same now, Mr. Hevidar.

The program of the KDP’s 14th congress stipulates that the KDP supports the existence of a strong opposition in Kurdistan. When I look at the opposition, their situation is bad.

It's not because of us that their situation is bad. If their situation is bad, it's their own doing. We believe opposition is good for monitoring government performance, in that framework. But an opposition that just waits for opportunities to damage things, that's not opposition. Some of those opposition brothers used to say we are opposition and we say good things are good and criticize bad things and demand reform. That's opposition. Safe opposition means having one common point, which should be the interest of the Kurdistan Region. By God we really like that opposition, it's very good to have that opposition. But they should agree on one essential point, the red line should be the Kurdistan Region, the authorities of the Kurdistan Region, and the future of the Kurdistan Region. They can criticise the government or improve things.

But some say the KDP doesn't accept criticism.

That's not true. It's not that absolute that the KDP doesn't accept it. Why wouldn't it accept it? We've had parliament and received much criticism and they've done many things. Just look at these elections, look at what kind of speeches the opposition makes. Have we said anything?

Recently you visited Turkey and reopened Sulaimani’s airspace. What was this in exchange for with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan?

It wasn't in exchange for anything. I said, ‘Mr. President, I think it's been a long time and this matter is important for the people of that city. I've come to tell you the time has come for your excellency to order that airspace to be opened.’ He immediately accepted, and said ‘Bring me my phone.’ Certainly with great thanks, I thank his excellency's grace as president of Turkey and the grace he had. He said ‘Bring me my phone’, immediately spoke with a minister, I don't know who it was, and I was very happy that it was actually opened. And we said if flights in Sulaimani are few, we're uncomfortable with that, because we have one sky, and that's Kurdistan's sky, whether that Kurdistan is Erbil, Sulaimani, Zakho, it's one for us. We've made efforts and this wasn't the first time. We had tried before on this matter.

So, it was not in exchange for anything. Mr. Nechirvan, in this election you and Mr. Masrour [Barzani] appeared together on stage and it happened at other times too. Do you deal with each other as cousins or as brothers and friends?

First of all, we grew up together. As relatives we are cousins, but as friends we are friends and we're both servants. We're both under the shadow of His Excellency President [Masoud] Barzani, servants of this nation and whatever we can do, each of us does in our own place.
In these elections you talked a lot about President Masoud Barzani. You are very attached to him.

That is how it is. His excellency the president for us, as I've mentioned several times in my speeches, he's the reference, the president, everything. What exists in Kurdistan now, his excellency the president laid its foundation stone in 1991 and 1992. It wasn't easy, he was the first person to demand that Kurdistan's problems must be resolved through elections and he's always encouraged us to serve more. The achievements that were enshrined for Kurds in the constitution, believe me without exaggeration, if he himself hadn't been there, those things wouldn't have been done and it would have been very difficult. What was enshrined in the constitution was the result of much insistence. I don't want to ignore other people's roles, but His Excellency President Barzani's role in these matters was decisive. Kurdistan's development, what you see in Kurdistan now, we've done this work under his command and he's always given importance to where roads are built, where water projects are built, what happened with electricity.

We give you the opportunity as Rudaw to advertise for your party and tell people the number and secure the million.

If you give me that opportunity, I ask all the people of Kurdistan on November 11 to all go to the ballot boxes and vote for the KDP’s list 275. I also tell the KDP, even one vote is a lot for us, don't forget even one person, all of you must be present at the ballot boxes on election day.

Thank you very much.

Many thanks to you too.