Iraqi politician to Salih: Iran has lied to you

Shafaq News / Iraqi politician Faiq Sheikh Ali, said today that Hoshyar Zebari will definitely win the Presidential elections.

Sheikh Ali said in a tweet, "My brother dr Barham Salih, I've known you since Saddam Hussein's era, and I'm aware you are adamant about vying for a second term."

"As your friend [...] I tell you that brother Hoshyar Zebari will win. Please withdraw your candidacy because I don't want to see losing against him."

He concluded, "Iran lied to you."

Iraq's President Barham Salih said on Tuesday he will run for a second four-year term in office, and called on his fellow politicians to vote for him in next week's parliamentary session.

Salih is among 25 candidates who have been approved by parliament to stand for the largely ceremonial role. The legislative body is scheduled to meet on February 7 to vote for the republic's next president in an important step towards the formation of a new government after October's general election.

The president of the republic "must be a symbol for the unity of the country and its sovereignty, a guardian to its constitution and a president for all Iraqis," Salih said in a televised speech.

"I am looking forward to assuming the responsibility once again," he said, listing his efforts since taking office in 2018 in leading initiatives to draft laws and tackling the challenges Iraq has been facing.

His nomination has raised tension between the country’s two main Kurdish parties. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) nominated Salih, a decision which was rejected by its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The KDP instead nominated former foreign and finance minister Hoshyar Zebari for the post.

A long-standing agreement among the Kurds usually sees a PUK nominee installed as president, while the KDP is left to run the Kurdistan region.