ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has nominated the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) interior minister as its candidate for the Iraqi presidency following Sunday’s ban on the party’s previous candidate, the party's spokesperson confirmed on Monday.
Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court temporarily suspended the candidacy of KDP’s Hoshyar Zebari for Iraq’s presidency last week following a lawsuit against him. The court ruled on Sunday to ban Zebari from running for the position “for failing to meet the conditions.”
Sunday was the deadline for political parties to field their candidates for the position. Zebari told reporters hours after his removal that his case is politically motivated. He said that the KDP had not fielded any other candidate to replace him.
However, an informed source from the KDP told Rudaw on Monday that the party has nominated the KRG’s interior minister, Reber Ahmed, for the Iraqi presidency. Mahmoud Mohammed, KDP spokesperson, confirmed the KDP's nomination in a statement shortly after.
Iraq held snap parliamentary elections on October 10. The speaker of parliament was elected last month following a deal between the Kurdistan Region’s ruling KDP, Sadrist bloc and most Sunnis. The deal also stipulates that the KDP will have the position of Iraq’s presidency and the Sadrist movement will choose the prime minister.
According to a long-standing customary agreement, the three main leadership positions in the Iraqi government are divided among Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis. Kurds get the presidency, Shiites get the premiership, and Sunnis get the parliamentary speaker. Among Kurds, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has held on to the presidency position since 2005.
PUK leader Bafel Talabani is leading a party delegation in Baghdad to resume campaigning for their candidate, the Iraqi President Barham Salih - who held the position since 2018 when a similar rift between the KDP and PUK took place.
Talabani met with the leaders of the Coordination Framework - a group of political parties affiliated to Iran - on Monday. The Framework has claimed that the elections were rigged and it acts as a rival to the alliance which is led by the Sadrists.
“Political and security issues as well as the steps to form a new government in Iraq were discussed,” read a statement from Talabani’s office regarding the meeting, adding that the leaders emphasised on the formation of a “national consensus government.”
However, the rival alliance has been calling for a national majority government.
PUK and the Framework “reiterated their insistence on the resolution of all issues in a political and peaceful way,” added the statement.
Updated at 6:55 pm
