KDP member suggests two ways to choose a Presidential candidate

Shafaq News / Member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Mahma Khalil, said it is unlikely that the Presidential election session will be held next Thursday.

Khalil told Shafaq News agency that the upcoming parliamentary sessions will be devoted to scheduling a session to elect a new President based on articles 70 and 71 of the Iraqi constitution, noting it is unlikely that the Presidential election session will be held next Thursday.

He added that it is the KDP's right to nominate its candidate, Rebar Ahmed, given its electoral and parliamentary weight.

Khalil called on the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan to stop believing that the Presidency of the republic should belong to a certain party, just like the Sunni and Shiite components did with the positions of Prime Minister and Parliament Speaker.

He suggested resorting to one of two ways to settle on a Presidential candidate. The first is letting the Parliament of the Kurdistan Region choose a candidate, while the other is assigning the party with a heavier electoral weight to do the job.

"We respect the Shiite house's decision to nominate Mohammed Shaya'a al-Sudani for the Premiership. He is a patriotic person that I've personally worked with, he is close to all parties."

The member of the KDP revealed that the head of the Party, Masoud Barzani, and the leader of the PUK, Bafel Talabani, have agreed on several points during their recent meeting. However, Barzani refused to extend the mandate of current President Barham Salih.

"Salih has lost his political compass", he indicated.

Khalil added, "Salih is holding tight to his position, and this is what caused a political impasse. There are differences between him and the Coordination Framework, and even between him and the party he belongs to."