Quick links
© 2020 amwaj.media - All Rights Reserved.
Your support keeps us independent
Subscriptions help us deliver original coverage of the region's most important issues.The story: The long-running leadership struggle within one of Iraqi Kurdistan’s two main parties has reignited. Contradictory court rulings have been issued on whether Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani lawfully ousted his former co-president Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabany in 2021. The contention has exacerbated an open sore within the party, and bolstered perceptions that the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is interfering in the PUK’s internal affairs for its own benefit.
The coverage: The Erbil Court of Appeals on Feb. 20 found that Sheikh Jangi’s removal as co-president contradicted the PUK’s internal regulations and that he remains as co-president. This reinforced a Feb. 1 decision by the court.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi elections judicial authority in Baghdad ruled the following day that Talabani is the sole leader of the PUK.
The context/analysis: Set up in 1976, the PUK brought together a dissident wing of the KDP and several left-wing parties. It saw greater decentralization in decision making but also more disorganization.
After years of delay, the PUK held its fourth party congress in Dec. 2019. The coronation of Bafel Talabani as new leader was upended when Sheikh Jangi unexpectedly garnered most votes for the General Leadership Council, the party’s current central executive. In a contentious compromise, Sheikh Jangi and Talabani were proclaimed PUK co-presidents.
In July 2021, Talabani moved to oust several key officials within the PUK’s intelligence and counterterrorism units who were loyal to Sheikh Jangi. He also shut down a media outlet supported by Sheikh Jangi.
In late Aug. 2021, the PUK proclaimed Talabani as sole party leader. In early November, Talabani expelled Sheikh Jangi as well as several of his allies, and seized full control of party finances.
Whatever the legal merits of Sheikh Jangi’s case, Talabani retains a hold over the PUK’s financial, political and security apparatuses.
The future: As long as he is in Sulaimaniyah, Sheikh Jangi will likely remain a thorn in Talabani’s side. The PUK leader may in parallel alienate some within his party as he girds to further cement authority.