PUK to head the Kurdish electoral list in Kirkuk

Shafaq News/ The Kurdish parties in Kirkuk decided today, Tuesday, in a meeting that excluded the Kurdistan Democratic Party, to hand the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan the beacon of Kurdistan's joint electoral list in Kirkuk.

The official of the Kurdistan Islamic Movement, Syed Hassan Sheikhani, said in a statement to Shafaq News agency, "the meeting's agenda included a set of points; the most prominent of which was naming the Kurdish list in Kirkuk," indicating, "the parties decided to hand the presidency of the list to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan as it is the largest Kurdish party in Kirkuk."

He added, "other issues, including the appointment of a spokesman for the list and setting criteria and a mechanism for selecting candidates, were tabled."

Sheikhani stressed that all Kurdish parties should participate in the list, including the Kurdistan Democratic Party, because it is one of the largest parties in Kirkuk and had a winning candidate in several electoral rounds.

He continued," candidates of all parties, including the Islamic ones, should be on the list. It should not be limited to the two main parties in the Kurdistan Region."