KRI President Barzani congratulates Salahuddin Bahaaddin on re-election as KIU Secretary-General

Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Kurdistan Region (KRI) President Nechirvan Barzani congratulated Salahuddin Bahaaddin on his re-election as Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) and the success of the party's ninth congress.

Commonly referred to as "Yekgirtû," the KIU represents the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology in Iraqi Kurdistan and actively participates in regional politics, holding seven seats in the Kurdistan Parliament.

In a phone call, President Barzani praised the role and significance of Bahaaddin and his party in the political landscape of the KRI and Iraq, expressing his “full support” for them, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.

Barzani further stressed the importance of the Secretary-General's role and the KIU's contribution to “maintaining unity among political forces and parties in the Kurdistan Region,” emphasizing “the need for shared national responsibility in addressing the current challenges facing the KRI, Iraq, and the wider region.”

For his part, Bahaaddin expressed his gratitude for the president's congratulations and commended his efforts in “preserving unity and solidarity among political forces and communities in the Region,” wishing him continued success.

On Friday, the KIU held its ninth congress in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, where Bahaaddin was re-elected as Secretary-General for a third term.

Bahaaddin was a founding member of the Kurdistan Islamic Union, established on February 6, 1994. He was first elected Secretary-General at the party's inaugural congress and re-elected at the second, third, and fourth congresses. He was later succeeded by Hadi Ali and Mohammed Faraj, before being re-elected as Secretary-General in 2016.