President Barzani heads delegation to UAE amid Kurdish political impasse

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani will lead a delegation to its oil-rich regional partner, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Monday amid ongoing domestic political disputes between the ruling Kurdish parties, raising speculations of delays in the Region’s upcoming parliamentary elections. 

President Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani will arrive in the UAE to convey their condolences on the passing of the late Emirati President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan and to attend the inauguration ceremony of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan who was named the UAE’s new president a day after his half-brother passed.

Both officials will be accompanied by Barzani’s Vice President Mustafa Said Qadir.

Kurdistan Region premier Masrour Barzani expressed his condolences to Sheikh Mohammed over the death of his brother in a visit to the UAE on Saturday, also congratulating him on being appointed the country’s new president.

The trip to the friendly country, which the Kurdistan Region enjoys bolstering relations with, comes as the Region sees a political impasse as months-long political disputes pressure strenuous ties between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which first began after Iraq’s October elections where the parties fielded separate candidates to challenge one another for the presidential post.

However, the political situation in the Region is also tense as its parliamentary elections are near. The PUK has been vying for amending the electoral law - a call supported by opposition blocs and rejected by the KDP.

The Kurdistan Region Presidency aims to hold a meeting between the KDP and PUK, Dilshad Shahab, Barzani’s senior advisor told Rudaw’s Bahroz Faraidun on Sunday.

“Our aim is to reach a framework where the interests of the Kurdistan Region are protected,” Shahab added, noting that disputes between parties should not put locals and residents in a state of worry.

“It is not possible for all these components to have the same way of thinking, but it is possible for us to unite under the framework of a national goal, and on the fixed principles of the Region and the interests of the people of Kurdistan,” the senior advisor stated.

There have been calls for amendments from several parties in the parliament. A KDP delegation in January met with the PUK to discuss the matter, but the talks were not fruitful.

A senior member from the PUK on Sunday told Rudaw that the party is ready to convene with the KDP.

“The PUK’s board of directors has decided and it is ready to receive any KDP delegation that aims to discuss the disputes between the PUK and the KDP and any delicate matters of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq,” the source said on the condition of anonymity.

Earlier in the year, President Barzani issued a decree stating that Kurdistan Region’s elections will be held on October 1. If held on time, it will be the Region’s sixth vote since 1992. 

The KDP wants to hold the elections under the current electoral law, which divides the Region into three electoral districts.

The PUK, however, insists on introducing a law similar to the one adopted in Iraq’s 2021 elections, where the country was divided into several electoral districts.

The KDP boasts 60 MPs in the 111-membered Kurdish parliament, which gives it the power to obstruct the approvals of the draft laws, especially those related to amending the electoral law.

The recent disputes have been a source of unease to locals and diplomatic missions in the Region.

On Sunday, the outgoing US ambassador to Iraq Mathew Tueller expressed his interest in the upcoming Kurdish elections, while also highlighting both ruling parties where he mentioned the violent era that gripped the PUK and KDP in the 1990s, emphasizing that the US "never ever want to see that reoccur."

Parliamentary elections are held at least every four years, according to Article 8 of the Kurdistan Electoral Law.

The Kurdistan Region held its last parliamentary elections on September 30, 2018. Over one million people participated in the vote, recording a turnout of 59 percent.

The KDP was the kingmaker of the vote, gaining over six hundred thousand votes and securing 45 seats.

A minimum quota of 30 percent of the parliamentary seats is reserved for female MPs, while 11 seats are allocated for parties that represent minorities.