Opposition and government close to a deal

30.1.2012 – The Kurdish Globe – By Ako Muhammed-Erbil – Next Cabinet hopes to heal relations among Kurdistan’s political parties. “Our door is always open.”–KDP VP Nechirvan Barzani, expressing willingness to work with opposition parties. Kurdistan Democratic Party’s Vice President, Nechirvan Barzani launched direct negotiations with Kurdistan parties after he was nominated by his Kurdistan Democratic Party to lead the government once again for the coming two years.

Nechirvan Barzani is now waiting to officially be asked to form government by Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani before he starts talks about the details of his Cabinet. KDP and PUK share the power in Kurdistan according to a mutual strategic agreement; thus, KDP receives the post of prime minister from PUK’s Barham Salih in the midst of their joint 4-year term. The Parliament Speaker post goes to PUK’s Arsalan Bayiz, as reported. Also, PUK’s Kosrat Rasul Ali is nominated to be appointed as the Region’s Vice President; a PUK-dedicated post that has remained vacant for more than two years. After the presidential appointment, a prime minister has to be given Parliament’s immunity so as to form Cabinet in 30 days, according to the Region’s law.

Sources from KDP leadership say the government will take office sooner than the legal period; the presidential appointment may come this week or the following. Such statements were given after Nechirvan Barzani’s visit last week to Suleimaniya where he met with Nawshirwan Mustafa, leader of the Region’s largest opposition bloc with 25 seats in Parliament.

The meeting did not include talks about formation of the coming Cabinet because Barzani has not been appointed officially for this task, said Dilshad Shahab, a KDP Politburo Member. He noted that such issues as well as inviting the Gorran Movement to take part in the government would take place in other meetings after Barzani is officially is asked to form the government. Shahab, who also attended the meeting, explained that the January 24 meeting mainly concentrated on political situations of Kurdistan Region in general. Both sides emphasized that they should work on shared points and not to let differences maintain the Region’s political ground.

Opposition parties on different occasions have stated that their relations with the next Cabinet very much depend on a 6-package reform project the oppositions proposed to government. They also said they would remain as the official opposition.

“The packages all have been studied, most of the items in the projects have already been introduced in the Region’s laws. The only problem is that these laws have not been implemented completely yet,” says Shahab, explaining that Barzani also accepts that opposition’s demands should be applied. After the meeting and speaking to reporters, KDP Vice President Nechirvan Barzani assured that they have no reservations when it comes to any reform attempts at reforms. “Our door is always open. We are sure that what the opposition is asking for is reform in Kurdistan,” he said, showing his readiness for discussing such attempts.

Barzani also called on political parties in the Region to take part in the government. Even if the oppositions decided not to take part in the government, this would not be a “wrong decision”, said Barzani. “I think the opposition can play its role in the Parliament through criticizing the government and through [projects for] reform. But we would like to see them (opposition) in the government.”

The Gorran Movement has decided not to be part of a government that continues the same agenda of the current Cabinet or is founded based on the KDP-PUK strategic agreement “even if this government implements the opposition’s 6-package proposal,” according to Gorran’s spokesman, Shaho Saeed. He confirmed that problems in Kurdistan Region’s politics require fundamental solutions such as the Opposition’s reform projects. Thus, he underestimated post shifts to resolve the problems. The Kurdistan Islamic Union, second-largest opposition party in Kurdistan Parliament, positively reacted to Barzani’s statement. “If his [Barzani's] statement means that the Opposition’s reform package will be included in the government’s agenda; then it will be the duty of all of us to support this government,” said Abubakir Kawrwani, KIU Politburo Member.

In a message on his Facebook page, Nechirvan Barzani assured that the coming Cabinet will continue the work of the current Cabinet and pay further attention to people’s demands and oppositions, suggestions.

In July 2005, Barzani took office as Prime Minister of a Kurdistan Regional Government that for the first time brought together KDP and PUK as well as other parties in one Cabinet after the Region was governed by two administrations because of civil war in the 1990s. During the last two years of Barham Salih’s 6th Cabinet, three parties boycotted and founded an opposition bloc for the first time in the Region’s two-decade governing history. Relations between the ruling and opposition parties went through tensions widely reflected in their media organs, mainly during electoral campaigns and while anti-government demonstrations that lasted two months in Sulaimaniya Province last year.

Barzani’s message is that he is trying to heal relations among the political parties while working in the coming government the same way he did in the 5th Cabinet.

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