KDP, Sadiqoon meet as presidential negotiations advance

Shafaq News– Erbil

The head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, met on Monday with a delegation from the Sadiqoon Movement, the political wing of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and a key component of Iraq’s Shiite Coordination Framework, as part of ongoing negotiations to select Iraq’s next president.

According to a statement from Barzani’s office, the meeting focused on steps toward resolving post‑election constitutional entitlements and strengthening coordination among political forces. Discussions also addressed the broader political situation in Iraq and mechanisms for managing the post‑election phase.

The talks come as negotiations intensify between Kurdish parties and the Shiite Coordination Framework over the presidency, a post traditionally allocated to a Kurdish figure under Iraq’s post‑2003 power‑sharing system.

Parallel discussions are also underway between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, as both sides seek to reach a unified Kurdish position before engaging decisively with the Coordination Framework in Baghdad.

The PUK has nominated Nizar Amedi as its sole candidate for the presidency, while the KDP has confirmed that it has put forward Fuad Hussein and Nawzad Hadi as its candidates for the position.

The Coordination Framework, an alliance of mainly Shiite political blocs, currently holds the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament with an estimated 175 to 180 seats, giving it decisive influence in government formation and negotiations over sovereign posts.

Under Iraq’s constitution, the president must be elected by a two‑thirds majority of parliament, after which the president formally tasks the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc with forming the next government.

Read more: Iraq’s Presidential Race: Kurdish candidates competing for the post