Shafaq News/ On Monday, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) affirmed that the current Iraqi President is their candidate for the Presidency.
The PUK deputy, Suzan Mansour, told Shafaq News Agency that Barham Salih is the Party's only presidential nominee noting that he will file his papers to run the post for a second term.
Earlier, Giyath Sawraji, a Leading figure in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, said that the PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) already have an agreement on the Presidency of the Republic and the differences are on the candidate.
Sawraji told our Agency, "we have an agreement with the KDP. The Presidency of the Republic is ours. They did not nominate anyone for the position."
"However, the disagreement between the two leading Kurdish parties is over the nominee. PUK insists on Barham Salih. But the KDP have some reservations."
"The fifteen-day deadline to name a candidate for the position is sufficient to resolve the difference between both sides. We will choose a candidate that both parties approve of PUK might name two persons. However, it insists on Salih."
Barham A. Salih is a veteran Iraqi Kurdish politician. He served as Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region from 2009-2012. He was elected to a leadership role at the first conference of the Political Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party. He was also chosen to head the PUK office in the United States.
Following the 1992 parliamentary elections, he became the newly formed Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representative to the US. During his time in the US.
He was appointed Prime Minister of the KRG in Sulaimani from 2001-2004. After the fall of the Ba'athist regime, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Interim Iraqi Government in mid-2004, the Minister of Planning in the transitional government in 2005, and Deputy Prime Minister again from 2005-2009. In addition to his role as Deputy Prime Minister, he was also in charge of the economic portfolio and head of the Economic Committee.
On October 2, 2018, Dr. Salih was elected President of the Republic of Iraq.
Dr. Salih earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and construction at the University of Cardiff and a doctoral degree in statistics and computer applications in engineering from the University of Liverpool in 1987. He is married to Dr. Sarbagh Salih, a botanist and women's rights activist.
According to political custom, the country's Presidency is part of the Kurdish community's share.
