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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Senior leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Kosrat Rasul Ali on Tuesday warned the party to “be careful” and asked the Leadership Council to halt its meetings following the appointment of new party leadership.
The party’s political council held an unannounced meeting on Tuesday discussing the recent decisions taken by the Leadership Council, including the appointment of the party's new co-leaders.
“PUK is in a position that needs us to be careful,” the Tuesday letter read. “I call on the leadership council to halt its meetings for a while, and start to hold meetings to solve the ongoing issues and listen to the different views before the Leadership Council resumes.”
The party’s Leadership Council elected cousins Bafel Talabani and Lahur Sheikh Jangi as co-leaders of PUK on Tuesday. However, Mustafa Chawrash, the council’s interim head, said the party is yet to announce the winner.
The news follows years of wrangling over who would succeed party founder Jalal Talabani.
On December 21, following years of delay, the PUK finally held a party congress, the first since the death of Jalal Talabani in 2017.
Party rivalries and a host of other issues had prevented the congress from taking place.
The PUK congress also voted to form the Supreme Political Council, which is headed by Kosrat Rasul Ali, the party’s former acting leader. The council acts as the party's official representation and performs a mostly advisory role.
Lahur is the incumbent head of the PUK’s counterterrorism forces and is the nephew of Jalal Talabani, who served as Iraq’s president from 2005 to 2014. Bafel is the late president’s son.
Some factions had hoped to prevent the party becoming a family dynasty.
The PUK was founded in 1975 after breaking away from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The two parties fought a long civil war in the 1990s before agreeing to share power in a united administration. They however both retain their own Peshmerga units and geographical areas of influence.
The party’s political council held an unannounced meeting on Tuesday discussing the recent decisions taken by the Leadership Council, including the appointment of the party's new co-leaders.
“PUK is in a position that needs us to be careful,” the Tuesday letter read. “I call on the leadership council to halt its meetings for a while, and start to hold meetings to solve the ongoing issues and listen to the different views before the Leadership Council resumes.”
The party’s Leadership Council elected cousins Bafel Talabani and Lahur Sheikh Jangi as co-leaders of PUK on Tuesday. However, Mustafa Chawrash, the council’s interim head, said the party is yet to announce the winner.
The news follows years of wrangling over who would succeed party founder Jalal Talabani.
On December 21, following years of delay, the PUK finally held a party congress, the first since the death of Jalal Talabani in 2017.
Party rivalries and a host of other issues had prevented the congress from taking place.
The PUK congress also voted to form the Supreme Political Council, which is headed by Kosrat Rasul Ali, the party’s former acting leader. The council acts as the party's official representation and performs a mostly advisory role.
Lahur is the incumbent head of the PUK’s counterterrorism forces and is the nephew of Jalal Talabani, who served as Iraq’s president from 2005 to 2014. Bafel is the late president’s son.
Some factions had hoped to prevent the party becoming a family dynasty.
The PUK was founded in 1975 after breaking away from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The two parties fought a long civil war in the 1990s before agreeing to share power in a united administration. They however both retain their own Peshmerga units and geographical areas of influence.
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