Sulaimaniyah, Iraq – The Kurdish political scene witnessed a new verbal escalation on Thursday, December 25, 2025, concerning the position of President of Iraq. This dispute has become the most significant obstacle to finalizing political agreements for the formation of the new federal government in Baghdad.
Sarkawt Zaki: “Rights are not taken by one hand.”
In a firm and direct response to the ambitions of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Sarkawt Zaki, a member of the political bureau of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), confirmed during a press conference in Sulaymaniyah that the position of President of the Republic is “an exclusive entitlement of the Patriotic Union.”
Zaki stressed that crucial political issues cannot be resolved by unilateral decisions, saying: “Our message is clear, and rights cannot be taken by one hand.”
He pointed out that any attempt to impose the election results as the sole criterion for the position without political consensus would complicate the Kurdish and federal landscape.
Roots of the conflict: “Custom” versus “Electoral Majority”
This statement comes in response to remarks made yesterday, Wednesday, by Fares Issa, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s representative in Baghdad and a leading member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Issa asserted that the position would rightfully belong to the KDP this time, based on its majority in the number of parliamentary seats. He also stated that his party’s candidate would represent “all the people of Kurdistan.”
Key points of disagreement
The traditional equation (since 2005). Since then, the political custom in Iraq has been for the presidency of the republic to be held by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), in exchange for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) controlling the presidency of the Kurdistan Region.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party believes that winning seats in the 2025 elections will give it the legitimacy to seize power and change the old “rules of the game”.
While the Patriotic Union insists that the position is a “historic” entitlement, this ensures a balance between the two main parties and prevents one side from dominating all aspects of Kurdish decision-making.
Repercussions of the political deadlock
Political observers have warned that the continuation of this “open” conflict threatens Kurdish unity in the Baghdad negotiations and could further delay the formation of the Iraqi government.
Economic and political analyst Jamal Kojer believes that this division weakens the Kurds’ negotiating power regarding sensitive issues such as the budget, Article 140, and the oil and gas law.
Expected scenarios
Given the failure of previous meetings between Paul Talabani and Hoshyar Zebari to resolve the issue, two possibilities are anticipated:
Compromise candidate: Agreement on a Kurdish figure acceptable to both sides (2022 scenario).
The swap of positions: Linking the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government to Baghdad’s entitlements in “one basket”.
