Change Movement says NO to PUK’s offer of power sharing / “PUK MOST CORRUPT!”

24.7.2013 – shafaaq.com | aswataliraq.info | asharq-e.com : Jalal Talabani’s party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK, propose the Kurdish Change (Gorran) Movement to divide administrative posts in Slêmanî (Sulaimaniyah) province between the two sides, but the Movement rejected the offer and insisted to hold the provincial councils’ elections.

The source, whose name was not disclosed, added that the Kurdin National Union Party is “afraid of losing the governor’s post if the elections took place, as reported by Saudi al-Sharq al-Awsat daily. “what I have known a Kurdish leader, PUK have made an offer to the Kurdish Change opposition to share management of administrative positions in Sulaimaniyah province, but the movement has rejected the offer and insisted on organizing regional elections,” Middle East al-Sharq al-Awsat daily newspaper quoted.

Gorran is the strongest opposition movement in Iraqi Kurdistan with 25 seats in the 111-member parliament.

The newspaper said that according to the leader, PUK is “concerned” from losing the position of Sulaimaniyah Governor, if regional councils elections were held, therefore, Change movement led by Nawshirwan Mustafa offered to keep the post of governor of PUK for assigning positions of chairman and mayor of the district to movement. The leader, who requested anonymity added in his remarks that PUK believes that “it popularity has become weak in Sulaimaniyah and is almost sure that it will lose the regional elections in Sulaimaniyah, therefore hindered the conduct of any election there till now.”

It was originally planned to hold the regional elections with parliamentary and presidential elections on 21 of next September, but the last two ballots have been delayed after the extension of the mandates of the current parliament and the president of the region.

Nawshirwan Mustafa, a former deputy in the Kurdish government, formed the Change List in 2009 as a rival to the ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party. His party scored a success in Kurdish elections in 2009, taking several seats from the incumbent parties. Mustafa has left Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party (PUK) in December 2006, now owns a powerful media company, Wisha, the company, which includes a television station, newspaper and website, is now independent and highly critical of local leaders.

Gorran enjoys wide support in Kurdistan region. Gorran emerged in regional elections in 2009 as a rival to the two main ruling Kurdish parties and won 25 seats of 111 in the parliament. Gorran is challenging Talabani’s PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan), and the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party), of regional president Massoud Barzani and accuses the parties of corruption.