Shafaq News/ Leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Mulla Bakhtiar, lambasted the "corruption" and "internal conflicts" of his party, calling for an urgent "self-criticism" ahead of the elections or "a worse fate awaits the party". 

"The internal policies of the Patriotic Union were put into force since July 8, without holding a single meeting of the command. In order to show that the Union is united, they convened upon useless subsidiary issues, without addressing the internal issue and the external conflicts."

"These bright slogans raised in the name of revival did not only fail to revive the PUK, but also provoked despair, distrust, violations to the partisan principles, and loosened the rope for opportunism and parasitism in the party."

"Under the name of revival, the party's internal problems were pushed to a perilous juncture, and the residues of appreciation and love for the patriotic union in the hearts of people decayed." 

"With less than two weeks ahead of the elections, and after all the crimes and looting committed by the party have been officially revealed, does the incumbent leadership of the Patriotic Union and the Independent High Electoral Committee recognize the deep wound they have incited to the positions of the federalists and the voters of the Patriotic Union?" he continued, "it is deeper than the wound that occurred after the secession of Change movement; when, under the influence of the Change propaganda, the PUK won 18 seats, and the Change won 25 seats." 

 "The Patriotic Union today is hostile to itself internally. It today is practicing the largest hostility campaign against members of its own that has never been seen throughout its history, in parallel with the electoral campaign."

 "Amid the dire situation of the PUK, the elections campaign, the green promises made to the people will definitely not work, because this is not the first elections for the people of Iraq and Kurdistan. The people now know that slogans made previously were only to protect the authority."

"The few days remaining before the elections should be devoted to self-criticism, criticism of corruption, non-compliance with the partisan principles, and the lack of the rule of law, the fragmentation of the Patriotic Union, and the absence of a united Kurdistan force..."

 "I am confident that if we do not practice all this criticism...a worse fate awaits the National Union."