In a sign of disagreement among Iraq’s Kurds, political parties in the Kurdistan Region have put forward more than one candidate for the post of president.
Iraq is forming a new government following the November 11 general election. The new parliament will vote on a president in a session this month.
According to an agreement reached after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, the post of president is reserved for a Kurd, while the parliament speaker must be a Sunni and the prime minister a Shiite.
Another deal among the Kurds stipulates that the presidency goes to a candidate nominated by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), while leadership of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region is held by its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
The PUK announced on Monday that its presidential candidate is Nizar Amedi, former Iraqi minister of environment, while the KDP nominated Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, a Kurdish politician, for the post. The party nominated Mr Hussein for the presidency in 2018 and lost.
Political wrangling between the KDP and the PUK has delayed the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government following the October 2024 local parliament elections.
Parliament Speaker Haibat Al Halbousi, who was elected last week with his two deputies, announced on Monday that at least 44 candidates had applied for presidential post, without naming them.
The current President, Abdul Latif Rashid, who was endorsed by KDP in 2021, is seeking a second term. Other senior Kurdish politicians as well as independent candidates have applied for the post, a parliament official said without giving more details.
Among the candidates are ordinary Iraqis who said they realise it is almost impossible to win but see their candidacies as a testament to Iraqis' desire for change as frustration with the political elite increases.
The move is part of a broader trend of protests and demands for reform, with citizens calling for an end to the system of distributing posts based on sect and political affiliation, known as muhasasa in Arabic. Critics say the system perpetuates corruption, inefficiency and sectarianism.
Iraqi Shiite political parties have formed the largest bloc in Parliament, the Co-ordination Framework, but have not reached an agreement on their nominee for prime minister. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani is seeking another term in office but faces objections from the main Shiite bloc.
Parliament must elect a president within 30 days of its first session, which was held on December 29. The president, in turn, will name a prime minister, selected by the largest parliamentary bloc, to form the cabinet within 15 days.
Iraq has often failed to meet these constitutional deadlines due to disputes between rival factions. Mr Al Sudani took office a full year after the October 2021 election.
