CDJ head of relations quits as party unveils election list
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Dilshad Abdulrehman, head of relations for the Coalition for Democracy and Justice (CDJ), announced his resignation on Saturday, saying the party cannot meet the objectives it was created to achieve.
Abdulrehman is a former education minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The CDJ is a newly founded party in the Kurdistan Region. The party held its first congress in January, electing Barham Salih to the leadership.
Salih was prime minister of the KRG from 2009 to 2012. He was a leading figure in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) before splitting from the party in 2016.
The CDJ performed poorly in Iraq’s May 12 parliamentary election, obtaining just two seats.
The party will likely prove “ineffective” in the Kurdistan Regional Parliament elections scheduled for September 30, Abdulrehman said.
“The continuation of this coalition and taking part in the Kurdistan elections will add another ineffective number to the party’s lists and will lead to further fragmentation of the Kurdistan political parties, particularly in the green zone,” he said.
The term “green zone” is used to refer to areas of Sulaimani province dominated by the PUK.
The high profile resignation came the same day the CDJ announced its list of 100 candidates for the Kurdistan elections.
“I am announcing my resignation from the CDJ because I understood the objectives we created the CDJ for cannot be obtained through it,” Abdulrehman said in a Facebook post.
Abdulrehman is a former education minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The CDJ is a newly founded party in the Kurdistan Region. The party held its first congress in January, electing Barham Salih to the leadership.
Salih was prime minister of the KRG from 2009 to 2012. He was a leading figure in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) before splitting from the party in 2016.
The CDJ performed poorly in Iraq’s May 12 parliamentary election, obtaining just two seats.
The party will likely prove “ineffective” in the Kurdistan Regional Parliament elections scheduled for September 30, Abdulrehman said.
“The continuation of this coalition and taking part in the Kurdistan elections will add another ineffective number to the party’s lists and will lead to further fragmentation of the Kurdistan political parties, particularly in the green zone,” he said.
The term “green zone” is used to refer to areas of Sulaimani province dominated by the PUK.
The high profile resignation came the same day the CDJ announced its list of 100 candidates for the Kurdistan elections.
The CDJ is yet to comment on Abdulrehman's departure.