WONDERING ABOUT BARZANI : Barzani ‘didn’t know’ about presidential extension, claims KDP leader

12.7.2013 – Kurdistan Tribune – Peshtwan Sadeq, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) politburo, has told the pro-KDP Rudaw news agency that Masud Barzani did not know in advance about the proposal to extend his presidency. Last month MPs from the ruling KDP and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) voted to extend his term by two years.

This is the first time a member of the president’s inner circle has openly made this claim, leaving observers wondering if Barzani is worried about public opposition to the extension. Everyone has been waiting in vain for a statement from Barzani himself. But the situation is complicated and there seem to be major divisions inside the PUK and KDP politburos. For many observers it is absurd to think that Barzani would not have been kept informed of the situation before the extension proposal was taken to Parliament. Members of the PUK politburo have started talking to the media, claiming that the PUK is being humiliated by the KDP  because they extended the presidency for Barzani and now it seems like he is not accepting it.