MESOP NEWS IRAQ – PUK forces Lahur Talabani to leave Iraqi Kurdistan until after election
MESOP 26-8-2021 SULAIMANI, Iraqi Kurdistan region,— The “co-chair” of Sulaimani’s ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani, is to “temporarily” travel abroad in three days, the politburo said in a statement on Tuesday.
The PUK said Lahur Talabani is “to travel outside of Iraq within three days, until two weeks after the announcement of the results of Iraq’s parliamentary elections, which are currently scheduled for October 10,” saying his co-chair Bafel Talabani will “direct security forces to assure his safety until he travels.”
The order is the latest development in the power struggle between Lahur Talabani and his cousins, PUK co-president Bafel Talabani and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, which erupted into public view on July 8 when the Talabanis ousted Lahur Talabani and members of his camp from important positions in the party’s affiliated security forces.
Security forces loyal to Bafel in July also raided the offices of a TV channel affiliated with Lahur, iPLUS TV. The channel had not gone on air yet, but was scheduled to start broadcasting soon. Its studio has been handed over to Gali Kurdistan TV, an official PUK channel, and iPLUS offices was given to PUK media.
Earlier this month, scores of people gathered in front of Lahur Talabani’s house amid news of attempts to drive him out of Iraqi Kurdistan region following a power struggle within the PUK.
“I have decided to face this plot head on and will not leave my nation until my last breath,” he said at the time.
A warrant was also issued for his arrest, but he was granted bail last week.
Lahur Talabani said the new decisions are “far from reality,” claiming he has not reached any agreement with the politburo on the decisions.
Lahur Talabani’s office said on Wednesday that his departure from Iraqi Kurdistan would only be brokered through a meeting by the PUK’s General Leadership Council.
Talabani said on August 2, he will remain in Iraqi Kurdistan “until my last breath,” despite apparent moves to force him abroad.
In early July, Bafel Talabani and his brother, Qubad Talabani, dismissed the heads of the PUK’s intelligence agency and counter-terrorism units, replacing officials who were close to Lahur Talabani with others loyal to Bafel Talabani.
On July 20, Lahur Talabani said that he had “temporarily” handed over power to his rival co-chair and cousin Bafel Talabani on the condition of the formation of a committee “to investigate and follow up on all the baseless allegations and propaganda in some media and social media that were being published to mislead” after rumors of a power struggle in the party.
Talabani is to announce his support for the Kurdistan Coalition in the upcoming elections, the politburo added.
The Kurdistan Coalition is an election alliance between Change Movement (Gorran) and the PUK that was announced in early May to run in Iraq’s October parliamentary elections. Lahur Talabani was the head of the alliance.
He later stepped down from his position and was replaced by Qubad Talabani late last month.
Iraq will hold elections on October 10, ahead of schedule. Early elections were one of the demands of protesters who took to the streets in October 2019 across central and southern Iraq.
There were initial attempts to form a broad Kurdish coalition for the elections, but the parties failed to find common ground and, apart from the PUK and Gorran alliance, the other parties will contest the vote independently.