Iraqi Communist Party calls for dialogue to resolve political crisis in Kurdistan region

In a statement issued by its Political Bureau on 8 November, entitled “For the Protection of the Gains of the Kurdish People”, the ICP expressed concern over the growing tensions between the two main Kurdish political parties and the danger that the crisis could deepen existing divisions. The Party situated the dispute within an already complicated national and regional situation, warning that its consequences could extend beyond the Region itself.

The statement recalled that the national and constitutional rights secured by the Kurdish people were the result of decades of struggle and sacrifice against authoritarianism, oppression and national discrimination. It also emphasised that the establishment of Iraq's federal system was the outcome of the joint struggle of the Kurdish people and other sections of Iraqi society, together with their national and democratic forces.

The ICP highlighted its own historical contribution to this struggle, reaffirming its consistent defence of the legitimate national rights of the Kurdish people and its commitment to building a united, democratic and federal Iraq.

The Party warned that the continuation and escalation of the current crisis could provide opportunities for forces seeking to undermine the Kurdistan Region and the federal democratic experience. Protecting and developing the achievements secured through decades of struggle, it argued, is therefore a shared national responsibility.

Against this background, the ICP called on both the KDP and PUK to give priority to dialogue and mutual understanding, refrain from escalation and unilateral measures that could deepen divisions, and resolve their differences through peaceful and democratic means. It stressed that any agreement must respect the popular will, allow constitutional institutions to resume their regular functioning and ensure that these institutions operate in accordance with the constitution and the law.

The Party also insisted that citizens' rights, interests and living conditions must be placed at the centre of political decision-making.

The statement came amid a sharp deterioration in relations between the KDP and PUK following the reopening of the Kurdistan Parliament on 4 November. The session, attended by 52 of the 100 members, elected a parliamentary presidency despite a boycott by the PUK, the New Generation Movement and several other political forces. The PUK subsequently announced its withdrawal from the Kurdistan Regional Government and rejected the legitimacy of the parliamentary proceedings.

On 9 November, KDP leader Masoud Barzani called for renewed negotiations, and the KDP declared its readiness to meet with the PUK and other political parties. However, the threat of a return to two separate administrations remained a serious concern. On 10 November, the PUK and the New Generation Movement also challenged the legality of the 4 November parliamentary session before Iraq's Federal Supreme Court.

Concluding its statement, the ICP stressed that the stability of the Kurdistan Region and the protection of the Kurdish people's achievements constitute a general Iraqi national interest and are inseparable from the defence of the country's federal democratic system. It called on all political forces to prevent a return to the divisions that the Kurdish people had paid such a heavy price to overcome, and to preserve and strengthen the achievements of both the people of Kurdistan and Iraq as a whole.