Barzani party boycotts Iraqi parliament session to elect president

Kurdish KDP Party Pulls Out of Iraq Presidential Vote, Deepening Political Stalemate

BAGHDAD,— The Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party announced Friday it would not take part in a parliamentary session set for Saturday to choose the country’s next president, saying the move lacked the political foundation needed to proceed.

The KDP bloc in the Iraqi parliament said in a statement: “We have decided not to participate in tomorrow’s session.” The presidential election had been scheduled to take place during that sitting.

Iraq operates under an informal power-sharing system in which the Kurdish community holds the presidency, Sunni Arabs hold the parliamentary speakership, and Shiite parties control the prime ministership.

The constitutional deadline for electing a president has already lapsed, as the two dominant Kurdish political parties – the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan – have been unable to settle on a shared candidate.

The PUK put forward Nizar Amedi as its presidential pick, while the KDP nominated Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

The KDP, which already controls the Kurdistan Region Presidency and Kurdistan Region Prime Ministership, is also seeking the federal presidency, a position that has customarily gone to the PUK.

The KDP, whose leadership is drawn from the Barzani family, described the push to hold Saturday’s session as an attempt that “imposes a fait accompli” and said it showed “a blatant disregard for the essence of national partnership and a dangerous retreat from the constitutional understandings upon which the country’s political process was built.”

The party further stated that the presidency and the prime ministership “are inseparable national matters” and must be handled together as “a single, integrated package within a framework of genuine consensus and comprehensive, serious dialogue.”

The State of Law coalition, led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, announced shortly afterward that it would also absent itself from the session, backing a delay.

The coalition said there was “a necessity of preparing a positive atmosphere that ensures responsible outcomes serving the interests of the country,” as told by Maliki’s adviser Hisham al-Rikabi.

The KDP holds 26 seats in parliament; the State of Law coalition holds 29.

Former Iraqi Prime Minster Nouri al Maliki, December 2025. Photo: iKurd.net/Shams TV video/YT

Maliki had been positioned as the frontrunner for the prime ministership after the Shiite Coordination Framework backed him following the November elections. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw American support for Iraq if Maliki takes the post.

KDP chief Massoud Barzani wrote on X Friday that pushing the presidential election forward “while others deliberately stall the selection” of a prime minister is “unacceptable.”

Barzani added on Saturday that rushing a presidential vote risks “counterproductive” results and “deeper divisions,” and he stressed the need for broader political consultations.

The decision to proceed with Saturday’s session came after a Sunday meeting between parliamentary leaders and bloc heads, who called for an end to a “political deadlock,” according to a statement from the legislature.

The Shiite Coordination Framework had pressed parties to speed up the process and work out their disagreements.

Iraq held its legislative elections in early November, with parliament choosing its speaker and two deputies in late December.

The constitution requires lawmakers to elect a president within 30 days of forming parliamentary leadership, with a quorum of two-thirds – 220 of 329 members – required to open the session.

Once a president is sworn in, the constitution allows 15 days to task the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc with forming a government.

(With files from Rudaw)