PUK 222 Outlines Vision to Strengthen KRG–Federal Ties and Resolve Longstanding Disputes

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The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) emphasised the necessity of correcting the course of relations between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government.

As part of List 222’s Agenda and Strategy for the Iraqi parliamentary elections, the PUK noted that financial disputes between the KRG and Baghdad persist. However, President Bafel Jalal Talabani has dedicated all his efforts to safeguarding the financial rights and entitlements of citizens in the Kurdistan Region through rational dialogue and sound decision-making within the framework of the Constitution.

In the political and diplomatic sphere, the PUK's Agenda and Strategy outlines the following points:

First: Owing to policy differences and attempts to personalise the disputes between the Region and Baghdad outside the constitutional framework, the issue of salaries and financial entitlements for the Kurdistan Region has repeatedly teetered between being released or withheld, leaving the fate of many citizens’ salaries uncertain. Despite his many party responsibilities, President Bafel Jalal Talabani prioritised resolving this issue during his successive visits and meetings in Baghdad. Eventually, a decision was made to disburse employees’ salaries. This historic achievement by President Bafel marked a major breakthrough in addressing the salary crisis and created greater potential to resolve the remaining outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad once and for all.

Second: The PUK succeeded in correcting the path of governance and ending the politics of expansionism and authoritarianism in the Kurdistan Parliament elections. Through the ballot box, the PUK ensured that no single party could secure 50+1 of the seats, thereby safeguarding the formation of a service-oriented government through a genuinely democratic process.

Third: The aftermath of the referendum, which endangered the achievements and future of the Kurdish people, brought the Kurdistan Region to a critical crossroads and placed Kirkuk—the sacred city of Kurdistan—in a state of uncertainty, facing the prospect of conflict and destruction. After years of denying the Kurds’ return to Kirkuk, and through the will of the voters combined with the diplomatic efforts of President Bafel Jalal Talabani, the PUK succeeded in electing a Kurdish governor for Kirkuk. This step sought to restore the city’s true identity and make peace, coexistence, and service its guiding principles. This was the will of President Mam Jalal to the PUK, and through it, to the people of Kirkuk.

Fourth: After years of marginalisation and distortion of democratic representation, and the imposition of a rigid electoral law that had become a source of frustration and discontent for political forces in the Kurdistan Region, President Bafel Jalal Talabani and the PUK, through firm determination, managed to amend and finalise the law in favour of the people of Kurdistan. This ensured that the various communities regained their right to elect their genuine representatives to the Kurdistan Parliament freely.

Fifth: As an administrative and moral reparation for the martyred city of Halabja, President Bafel Jalal Talabani, through tireless diplomatic efforts in Baghdad and coordination with the PUK’s parliamentary bloc, strongly defended the rights of Halabja’s people and succeeded in securing its recognition as Iraq’s 19th province.

Sixth: The PUK’s opponents have often levelled baseless accusations, alleging dubious relations with certain Iraqi political parties and neighbouring states, fabricating rumours to undermine the PUK’s domestic and foreign relations. Nevertheless, by adhering to a national Kurdish policy based on balance, friendship, and peaceful engagement with internal political forces, neighbouring countries, and the international community, the PUK dispelled all these claims, impressing observers with the wisdom of its approach.

Seventh: The PUK also upheld the fair representation of Iraq’s diverse communities in its diplomatic missions and international delegations.



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