PUK stands by Nizar Amedi for Iraqi Presidency
Shafaq News– Erbil
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) confirmed on Monday that Nizar Amedi remains its sole nominee for Iraq’s presidency, as Kurdish parties and national blocs step up talks ahead of a vote that requires broad parliamentary backing.
PUK lawmaker Sarwa Muhammad told Shafaq News that the party has opened channels with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), adding that PUK leader Bafel Talabani is also expected to hold meetings with leaders from major Shiite and Sunni blocs to build cross-sectarian support for Amedi’s candidacy within the constitutional timeframe.
Electing Iraq’s president requires a two-thirds majority in parliament, a number that Kurdish parties alone cannot secure.
The push comes amid continued Kurdish political disagreements that have spilled into federal politics. Despite more than 10 rounds of talks over the past two years, including in 2025, the PUK and KDP have failed to reach a comprehensive agreement on forming a new government in the Kurdistan Region.
At the federal level, the presidential race has once again exposed rifts between the Kurdish parties. Although Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing system assigns the presidency to a Kurdish figure —most often from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan— the Kurdistan Democratic Party has challenged that tradition after emerging stronger in the 2025 parliamentary elections, winning 26 seats —11 more than the PUK— and securing more than one million votes nationwide. KDP leaders have argued that these results entitle the party to a larger share of federal posts, and have floated several potential nominees, including Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and former Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nawzad Hadi.
KDP leader Masoud Barzani previously advanced a proposal calling for the presidency to be filled by a candidate chosen collectively by Kurdish parties and political blocs, rather than remaining confined to competition between the two dominant forces in the Kurdistan Region.
Read more: Iraq’s Presidential Race: Kurdish candidates competing for the post
