“We, seven members of the General Council of the Change Movement, submitted our resignation letters to the party’s Executive Body and General Coordinator on Tuesday,” Saleh Zhazhlaye, deputy secretary of Gorran’s General Council, told Rudaw.
“We will not be waiting for their approval or disapproval. We have now resigned from membership of the General Council and Change Movement as well.”
The council members resigned because the party has betrayed its founding principles and disregarded democratic conventions within the party, he said.
“We think the movement has drifted from its path and violated its by-laws and we cannot accept this. Therefore, we have resigned from the movement,” Zhazhlaye added.
The terms of the party’s National Council and Executive Body have now expired. Yet, they continue to make decisions.”
According to the party’s by-laws, internal elections are to be held every two years for all Gorran party institutions, including the Executive Council. They were last held on July 25, 2017.
Gorran’s General Council is a consultation body that is supposed to inform and advise party leaders and bodies.
Zhazhlaye complained the party’s “National Council was disregarding us, whereas they were supposed to consult us in decisive matters.”
There have so far been several high-profile resignations from the party since the movement was formed in 2009, including that of co-founder Salar Aziz who resigned in 2014 citing “authoritarianism” in the party and “party mismanagement.”
Former Finance Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Rebaz Hamlan also resigned from the party in 2017, because of its opposition to Erbil’s referendum for independence from Iraq.
Gorran splintered from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in 2009 following bitter disagreements over party reforms. Then deputy leader of the PUK and founder of Gorran Nawshirwan Mustafa fell out with late PUK leader Jalal Talabani over differences of opinion in party management.
Following its establishment, Gorran achieved remarkable success in the 2009 Kurdish parliamentary elections, winning 25 seats. It held onto 24 of those seats in 2014.
The party experienced a steady decline in popularity winning only 12 seats in 2018 Kurdish parliamentary elections, attributed in part to the death of party leader Nawshirwan Mustafa in 2017.
With its transition from the opposition to participation in the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), it now occupies some key cabinet positions, including a presidential aide, ministers of finance, social affairs, trade and reconstruction.
