ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) leadership council on Sunday dismissed the party’s co-presidential system and elected Bafel Talabani as the sole president of the political bloc.
PUK’s council held a meeting in Sulaimani where it decided to dismiss the co-presidential system about three years after its adoption, naming Bafel Talabani party president, read an official statement from the party, seen by Rudaw English.
The PUK was co-chaired by Bafel Talabani and his cousin Lahur Talabny until the latter was effectively ousted from power last year despite maintaining the title of co-chair, unleashing a series of tense encounters within the party.
Bafel Talabani changed his Facebook and Twitter bios to “president” of the PUK in July of last year, but an official announcement from the party came out on Sunday.
The cousins’ internal issues surfaced on July 8 of last year, when Bafel Talabani and his brother, Qubad Talabani, changed the heads of the PUK’s intelligence agency and counter-terrorism units, who were affiliated to Lahur Talabany, replacing them with people loyal to Bafel Talabani.
Lahur Talabany and Bafel Talabani were elected as co-chairs of the PUK in February 2020, following years of wrangling within the party over who would succeed the late Jalal Talabani, who died in 2017. The party did not hold a congress to elect a new leader until December 2019, largely because of internal rivalries. At the congress, the party adopted a co-leadership and the cousins were elected to the posts two months later.
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 both retain their own Peshmerga units and geographical areas of influence.
