On April 11 Iraq’s parliament finally elected a president six months after elections. That was Nizar Amedi from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). This happened despite a boycott by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Nuri al-Maliki’s State of Law.
There was controversy over the vote as the KDP claimed that there were not enough parliamentarians present. It went on to say that the presidency belonged to the Kurds not a single party meaning the PUK which has held the position since 2005. It also said that electing the president had to be done at the same time as selecting the next prime minister since it is the job of the president to name the premier.
Amedi’s election was considered an important victory for the PUK. The KDP has been trying to monopolize all of the major Kurdish positions in both the Kurdish and central governments. That was the result of the collapse of the PUK since the death of its founder President Jalal Talabani which allowed the KDP to become the dominant Kurdish party.
PUK head Bafel Talabani has been working diligently to restore the prestige of his party. He strong armed the New Generation opposition party into an alliance by arresting its leader Shalwar Abdulwahid and only released him after five months when he agreed to align with the PUK. In the 2024 Kurdish vote the KDP won 39 seats versus 23 by the PUK. With New Generation’s 15 Talabani now has 38 seats. In Baghdad Talabani also reached out to the leading Sunni politician Mohammed Halbusi and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq who tied for 3rd in the vote, along with Ammar Hakim’s Hikma and PM Sudani which facilitated Amedi’s election.
Back in February Al Hurra reported that the PUK and KDP had agreed upon Amedi’s nomination. This was part of a larger agreement over creating a new Kurdish government. The KDP would get the Kurdish premiership, the presidency and 11 ministers while the PUK would get one major ministry in Baghdad and 7-9 ministries in Kurdistan. The Kurds held regional elections in October 2024 but disputes between the KDP and PUK have blocked any new government being formed.
What changed was that the vote for Amedi became part of a move by Prime Minister Mohammed Sudani to remain in office. Amedi is supposedly going to ask Sudani to form a new government rather than Maliki. He is backed by the KDP. That would explain why Maliki’s State of Law and the KDP boycotted the session on Amedi.
President Amedi is supposed to name a candidate for prime minister in 15 days so it will soon be known whether Sudani and Talabani’s machinations work out.
SOURCES
Al Alam, “Amidi’s “Veto”: has the Era of Barzani’s “Veto” Ended?” 4/12/26
- “US Mediation resolves Kurdish Party Disputes … Al-Alam Al-Jadeed Exclusively Reveals Details,” 2/10/26
Bas News, “KDP, State of Law Boycott Threatens Iraq’s Presidential Election Session,” 4/10/26
Kurdistan 24, “Iraqi Presidential Vote Falters Amid Disputed Quorum and Major Factional Boycotts,” 4/11/26
- “KDP Bloc Says Presidency and Premiership Must be Resolved as One National Package,” 4/10/26
- “KDP Rejects Iraqi Presidential Election Process, Citing Procedural Violations and Kurdish Consensus Breach,” 4/11/26
Al Mada, “Nizar Amedi Elected President of the Republic, Pledging to the “Iraq First” Principle,” 4/12/26
- “A session is expected to elect the president … and Maliki may fall due to signatures!” 2/26/26
The National Context, “Iraq’s Government Deadlock Has Produced Two Cross-Sectarian Camps Fighting Over One Session,” 4/1/26
- “The Maverick Playbook: How Bafel Talabani Is Trying to Turn Kurdistan’s Math Against the KDP,” 2/5/26
Reuters, “Iraqi parliament elects Nizar Amedi as country’s new president,” 4/11/26
Taqi, Ghassan, “Alhurra Exclusive: Undisclosed Kurdish Agreement Clears Path for Election of New Iraqi President,” Al Hurra, 2/12/26
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