The framework is working behind the scenes to push for Kurdish consensus on the position of President of the Republic.
The framework is working behind the scenes to push for Kurdish consensus on the position of President of the Republic.
2026-01-03 04:28
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Former Iraqi parliamentarian and member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Majid Shenkali, confirmed on Saturday that the Shiite Coordination Framework forces are pushing for an understanding between the Kurdish parties regarding the position of President of the Republic of Iraq.
Shankali told Shafaq News Agency that “the position of President of the Republic is a right belonging first to the Kurdish component and second to all Iraqis, based on the political custom that has been in place since 2005 until today,” noting that “the position is not exclusive to a particular party.”
He added that “any Iraqi has the right to submit his candidacy papers for the position of President of the Republic, but the selection mechanism within the House of Representatives stipulates that the candidate must be from the Kurdish component,” noting that “whoever runs outside the Kurdish forces is seeking to achieve media gains and nothing more.”
Shankali pointed out that “reaching an understanding and agreement on choosing a candidate who is acceptable to everyone is the best option at this stage,” explaining that “the coordination framework is pushing towards this path to avoid any state of political disharmony, and that the remaining time is sufficient to reach a choice of one of the candidates.”
The former MP continued, saying that “the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan have put forward candidates for the position of President of the Republic,” revealing that joint dialogue sessions will be held between the two parties starting tomorrow, Sunday, with the aim of discussing the proposed names and agreeing on one candidate for the position.
Earlier today, a source in the Kurdistan Democratic Party revealed that a decision had been made to form a high-level delegation to begin formal negotiations with political forces regarding the position of President of the Republic of Iraq.
This came after a meeting of the Democratic Party’s political bureau held on Saturday morning, under the supervision of Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, and in the presence of his deputies Nechirvan Barzani and Masrour Barzani, to discuss a number of current political issues, most notably the entitlement to the position of President of the Republic in Baghdad.
After the Iraqi parliament elected its new speaker, who is from the Sunni component, it was the Kurds’ turn to present their candidate for the position of President of the Republic, which is from this component.
It has been customary for this position to go to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, but in the last two election cycles, the Kurdistan Democratic Party objected to this and began demanding that a candidate from its party assume this position, especially after it swept the elections with the highest number of votes in the two cycles in the Kurdistan Region.
At the end of 2025, Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani called for a change in the mechanism for electing the Iraqi president, which is the “quota of the Kurds,” while he submitted a proposal that stipulates that this position be held by a candidate chosen by the Kurdish parties and blocs, and not necessarily be exclusive to the two main parties in the region (the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan).
After the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in the spring of 2003 at the hands of American forces and their allies, the major political forces of the Shiites, Kurds, and Sunnis adopted a quota system in distributing positions for the three presidencies: the Prime Minister’s office, the Republic, and Parliament.
shafaq.com
