Latest rift ‘single largest political crisis’ in Kurdish region’s history, says PUK leader

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Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), described the latest rift with rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) as “the single largest political crisis in…

Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), described the latest rift with rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) as “the single largest political crisis in the history of the Kurdistan region” and declared he recognises no parliament in Erbil.

After a contested parliament session was held last week, Mr Talabani announced his party was withdrawing from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), deepening a political crisis and raising fears of a return to parallel administrations in the region. The move came after the Kurdistan parliament convened for the first time in nearly two years and elected a Speaker despite a boycott by the PUK and allied parties. They had pushed the KDP to postpone until an agreement can be reached on the appointment of top cabinet positions, but the vote proceeded with 52 of the 100 politicians present, meeting the 51-member quorum requirement.

“The complete disrespect of the parliamentary process, the disregard for people's opinions to make parliament into the trading of cattle with threats and with money is completely unforgivable,” Mr Talabani said. “And if this is allowed to stand, it will become the new norm.

“There is no parliament. I recognise no parliament. This decision will be reversed.” He added that the PUK “will never take part in anything that comes from this process”.

Speaking at the Slemani Strategic Forum in Sulaymaniyah on Thursday, in an interview for On the Record with Hadley Gamble, Mr Talabani also turned Washington's call for Kurdish unity back on his rivals in the KDP. “All we need from the [US President Donald] Trump administration is an understanding of what's happened here,” he said. “And if you won't help us resolve it, please stand by. We're big enough and ugly enough to resolve it ourselves.”

His remarks came a day after Tom Barrack, the US special envoy to Iraq, told the Chatham House Iraq Initiative in London that Kurdish leaders needed to settle their differences.

Mr Talabani said he…

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