Barzani’s Presidential Extension Stirs Hornet’s Nest in Kurd

[Aslan]

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Extending President Massoud Barzani’s term by two years has stirred a hornet’s nest in Iraqi Kurdistan, with the ruling parties claiming the reason for the extension was to break a political deadlock, and the opposition screaming it was done “illegally.”

The autonomous region’s two ruling parties, Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and ruling partner the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), argue that the extension would end a months-long political deadlock over the issue, and prepare peaceful grounds for elections.

“This decree was passed for the greater good of the Kurdistan Region and to create a consensus on amending Kurdistan’s constitution,” Sunday’s ruling read.

But the parliament made this decision in the absence of Barzani, who was on a visit to Russia and France. Given that Kurdistan’s system is presidential, Barzani himself has the final say in approving or rejecting parliament’s ruling.

“According to article 10 of the presidential charter, anything that has to do with the president has to be proposed by the president’s office,” Hemen Hawrami, a member of KDP’s leadership council, told Rudaw. “The decision by parliament to extend his term wouldn’t become law unless the president himself has signed it.”

After the parliamentary vote, Abdullah Mala Nuri, an outspoken MP from the opposition Change Movement (Gorran) told Rudaw that the Kurdish parliament had conducted “an illegal act” and “violated its own charter.”

“The charter says parliamentarians have to be given at least 48 hours to study a new bill,” Mala Nuri said. “But this bill to extend the presidency was introduced in parliament, debated and voted for all on the same day.”

Together, the KDP and PUK command a majority in the 111-seat regional parliament.

The KDP dismissed claims by opposition groups that extending Barzani’s term means that the party is afraid of losing the next elections.

“It is in fact the opposition themselves who don’t want elections to be held. They are sure that the number of their voters has gone down dramatically,” the KDP’s Hawrami claimed.

Meanwhile, Barzani returned to Kurdistan on Thursday and immediately met with senior leaders of the PUK and KDP, discussing behind closed doors the vote in parliament, the issue of the draft constitution and the next parliamentary elections.

“In the upcoming days the president will also meet with Kurdistan’s other political parties for more discussion,” said a statement from the president’s office, following Thursday’s meeting.

But the presidency focused more on an expected visit by Barzani to Baghdad to meet with Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders.

“A delegation of government and political party officials will accompany President Barzani to Baghdad,” the statement read.