PUK eyes more seats in Erbil ahead of party rally

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is preparing for a major electoral campaign rally in Erbil and a senior official of the party expects a rise in seats in the capital during the upcoming federal legislative elections.  

“We as the PUK are optimistic that we will increase the number of seats in Erbil during this election,” Darbaz Kosrat Rasool, a PUK politburo member, told Rudaw on Wednesday, adding that his party eyes more seats nationwide. 

In 2021, the PUK and the Change Movement (Gorran) raced in the Iraqi parliamentary elections as one list, garnering 17 seats. 

The senior official announced that the PUK will hold a major election rally in Erbil on Saturday, with leader Bafel Talabani in attendance.

PUK’s campaign for the Kurdistan Region’s October 2024 legislative elections were marked by anger, with Talabani often dropping or throwing the microphone. A politburo member said, “This time, our campaigning is calm.”

"In our campaign, we emphasize our constitutional rights that Baghdad has gradually taken back from the Kurdistan Region. Now, whether the Region or Baghdad is to blame is another matter. What's important is that the parties who win the election go to Baghdad with unity and work for the constitutional rights of the Kurdistan Region,” Rasool noted. 

The Kurdistan Region held its long-delayed parliamentary election nearly a year ago, in October. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP0 won 39 out of 100 seats, followed by the PUK with 23. As has traditionally been the case, the two parties are seeking to form a power-sharing government.

Despite numerous meetings and an initial agreement, the two ruling parties have yet to finalize a deal on forming the Kurdistan Region’s next government. The Kurdish parliament, which has met only once, has not yet elected a speaker or deputies. The federal elections are reportedly contributing to the delay in forming the new government.

Mahmoud Mohammed, KDP spokesperson, on Thursday blamed the PUK for the delay in government formation.

"The PUK said they do not care about positins but they have delayed the formation of the tenth cabinet over positions," he told Rudaw. 

Erbil, a stronghold of the KDP, saw tight security measures last year when the PUK held its election rally in the city. This was to prevent potential clashes, as the KDP was also holding a rally just a few kilometers away.

The KDP is also planning a major election campaign in PUK’s stronghold, Sulaimani.

“In the beginning of the next week, they [KDP’s deputy leaders Nechirvan Barzani and Masrour Barzani], will come to Sulaimani,” Ali Hussein, the head of the KDP branch in Sulaimani, told Rudaw on Tuesday. 

“We will gather the people of Sulaimani, Halabja, Raparin and Garmiyan to a specific place and hold a massive campaign rally,” Hussein added. 

Halabja, traditionally part of Sulaimani province, was recognized as a separate province by the federal government earlier this year. Raparin and Garmiyan, however, remain geographically part of Sulaimani province.