Barzani calls for reform of Iraq’s Kurdish-held presidency

Shafaq News- Erbil

On Monday, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani called for a change in the mechanism for electing the President of Iraq, a position traditionally reserved for the Kurds.

In a statement, Barzani proposed that the presidency should be filled by a candidate chosen collectively by Kurdish parties and political blocs, rather than being dominated by the two main parties in the Region: the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

The Kurdish leader suggested that the election could be conducted in one of several ways: the Kurdistan Parliament could select a representative to assume the presidency, all Kurdish political parties could convene and agree on a candidate, or Kurdish deputies and political blocs within the Iraqi Parliament could choose the candidate.

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Since 2005, the president of Iraq has come from the PUK, beginning with Jalal Talabani, followed by Fuad Masum, Barham Salih, and currently Abdu Latif Rashid.

Under current procedures, after the election of the parliamentary speaker in Iraq, nominations for the presidency open. The president must then be elected by the Iraqi Parliament within a maximum of 30 days from the first parliamentary session.

The candidate must secure a two-thirds majority in the first round or a simple majority in a second round if no decision is reached initially. If one of the components, usually Sunni or Shiite deputies, refuses to attend the voting session or votes against all Kurdish candidates, the parliament cannot elect a president.

The Iraqi Parliament is set to hold the inaugural session of its sixth term on Monday, during which members will take the constitutional oath and select the speaker along with the first and second deputy speakers.

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