Kurdish PUK prepares Barham Saleh for Iraq’s Presidency

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, a governing partner of Iraqi Kurdistan region, is preparing former party member Barham Saleh for nomination as Iraq’s coming president, Iraqi media reported.

The PUK reinstated Saleh, leader of the Alliance for Justice and Democracy, into the party preparing to field him as the party’s nominee for Iraq’s presidency, according to Ayn al-Iraq news, which said the decision was adopted at the end of the PUK’s meeting on Wednesday morning.

It is not clear whether the nomination of Saleh came via an agreement with the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, but it is understood that the two parties had unified their positions regarding the presidential post and earlier in the parliament elections.

Based on a political agreement adopted since the ouster of late leader Saddam Hussein, Kurds assume Iraq’s presidency, Sunnis are entitled to parliament speaker, and Shias hold the prime minister’s office.

Iraq parliament elections, the first since the defeat of Islamic State militants, were held last May amid judicial challenges that prompted a recount of votes. The parliament elected Mohamed al-Halbousi, a former governor of Anbar, as its new speaker earlier this week.

Saleh had served as prime minister of Kurdistan for two previous terms.