Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah

Iraq’s failure to resolve the Kurdistan Region’s financial and political disputes could push the Region toward confederation or even independence, Kurdish Socialist Democratic Party leader Mohammed Haji Mahmoud warned on Saturday.

In a statement, Mahmoud—known widely as Kaka Hama—said the Kurdistan Region “is not treated as an equal partner” and “receives no fair share of national resources,” accusing Baghdad of sidelining Kurds and failing to implement the constitution.

“The problems of Kurdistan are greater than those of Palestine,” he said, adding that the long-running salary crisis “cannot be solved with the current mentality.” He urged broad Kurdish participation in Iraq’s October 11 elections to secure effective representation in Baghdad capable of defending regional rights.

Mahmoud described Iraq’s governance as deeply flawed, saying “laws in both Baghdad and Erbil are changed with a single phone call” and that “no decision is enforced without federal approval.”

He charged Baghdad of breaking repeated promises to release Kurdish salaries, leaving millions in hardship. “Each time they pledge to send funds, they backtrack—this has even embarrassed the prime minister.”

Kurdistan's unpaid wages: A crisis of trust and federalism

Mahmoud concluded that “the Region’s real rights can only be secured through a united political stance—either through a confederal system or full independence.”

Read more: Kurdistan's economic tightrope: Autonomy vs. Baghdad's grip