ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Lahur Talabany, the recently ousted co-chair of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), is preparing to contest his expulsion from the party on the grounds that the decision does not align with the PUK’s bylaws, a source close to Talabany told Rudaw English. After months of tensions, Lahur Talabany and three other party members were formally expelled from the PUK on Tuesday through a decision made by rival co-chair Bafel Talabani and his allies in the PUK. “Such decisions can only be made by the leadership council, and the council has not had a meeting,” the source who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue told Rudaw English. “He had temporarily handed his powers to Bafel Talabani, that decision had a number of requirements, and those requirements have not been met and the leadership council has not held a meeting. Therefore, he will retain his powers.” Bafel Talabani cut Lahur Talabany out of the PUK’s halls of power in early July when he changed the head of the party’s intelligence agency and counter-terrorism units who were affiliated with Lahur Talabany and replaced them with people loyal to himself, saying the shake-up was needed to combat corruption. Lahur Talabany denied the accusations made against him. In a video message on Facebook on Tuesday, Lahur Talabany criticized the party’s performance in Iraq’s October 10 parliamentary election and the path the party has taken. Three other PUK members, some of whom did poorly in the election, were also ejected from the party. A source within the party identified them as Shadman Mala Hassan, Ala Talabani, Zhino Mohammed. One of the other expelled leadership members also rejected the decision on Thursday. “This decision is void …. This decision is not based on the bylaws, and it is not in anyone’s decision to remove leadership members. Leadership members were elected in a congress vote and that is the only way they can be removed,” Hassan told Rudaw’s Bahroz Faraidoon. After Lahur Talabany was forced out, Bafel Talabani claimed he had been poisoned by people close to his rival. Mala Bakhtiar, a senior PUK official and father-in-law to Bafel Talabani, also claimed this week that he had been poisoned and is receiving treatment in Germany. On Monday, he blamed “comrades” for the poisoning without naming anyone. In Tuesday’s video message, Lahur Talabany said the party must “avoid these accusations” and called on the Leadership Council to convene in the near future in order to resolve the rift, saying “if there is an issue within the party, then that must be resolved through the party’s official organs.”
Kurdistan25-06-2026Erbil says Baghdad deducted, withheld around $37 billion in its budget share in 7 years
Kurdistan25-06-2026Viral Salafi preacher sexual exploitation case to be investigated next week: Minister
