Talabani hints at ‘one candidate’ for the presidency: It is not too late
Baghdad – The President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Bafel Talabani, hinted , on Thursday, to the possibility of agreeing on one candidate for the presidency of the Republic, during his meeting with a delegation from the European Union.
During his meeting with the delegation (March 17, 2022), in Dabashan, Sulaymaniyah, Talabani said: “It is not too late, and we can all put political and personal conflicts aside, and present one candidate for the presidency, in a patriotic spirit, to strengthen the entity of the Kurdistan region and protect the higher interests.”
Talabani stressed, “The situation in Iraq requires a settlement and mutual understanding in order to form a strong and effective government that provides peace and stability for the people.”
And last Monday, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Majid Shankali, said that the time for negotiations with the PUK has ended, and it may be difficult to return to an agreement, suggesting that it is likely to go towards the 2018 scenario.
Shankali stressed: “The time for negotiations with the PUK has ended, and the reality of the situation today is that both parties have a candidate for the presidency,” noting that “the recent Iranian attack on Erbil may be a political pressure, not a security one.”
He added, “After the Nowruz holidays, the features of the next government will become clear, in light of the recent rapprochement between the coordination framework and the Sadrist movement, and it is possible that the two Kurdish parties will enter the national space with two candidates to choose him as President of the Republic, and the chances of our candidate are greater than those of the National Union candidate.”
He pointed out that “the last meeting in El-Hanana led to the participation of the coordination framework in the next government, but the tripartite alliance still remains, and this certainly does not satisfy the framework, who want a broader participation.”