The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a political party active in Kurdistan Region and the disputed territories in Iraq. The PUK describes its goals as self-determination,human rights,democracy and peace for the Kurdish people of Kurdistan and Iraq. The PUK is currently under the leadership of Bafel Talabani. The PUK was founded in 1975 by Jalal Talabani,Nawshirwan Mustafa,Fuad Masum,Adel Murad,Ali Askari and Abdul Razaq Feyli. All presidents of Iraq under the 2005 constitution have been from this party.
Barham Salih is an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the eighth president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022.
Kurdistan Region is an autonomous administrative entity within the Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurdish-majority divisions of Arab-majority Iraq:the Erbil Governorate,the Sulaymaniyah Governorate,the Duhok Governorate,and Halabja Governorate. The KRI is bordered by Iran to the east,by Turkey to the north,and by Syria to the west. It does not govern all of Iraqi Kurdistan,and lays claim to the disputed territories of northern Iraq;these territories have a predominantly non-Arab population and were subject to the Ba'athist Arabization campaigns throughout the late 20th century. Though the KRI's autonomy was realized in 1992,one year after Iraq's defeat in the Gulf War,these northern territories remain contested between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Government of Iraq to the present day. In light of the dispute,the KRI's constitution declares the city of Kirkuk as the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. However,the KRI does not control Kirkuk,and the Kurdistan Region Parliament is based in Erbil. In 2014,when the Syria-based Islamic State began their Northern Iraq offensive and invaded the country,the Iraqi Armed Forces retreated from most of the disputed territories. The KRI's Peshmerga then entered and took control of them for the duration of the War in Iraq (2013–2017). In October 2017,following the defeat of the Islamic State,the Iraqi Armed Forces attacked the Peshmerga and reasserted control over the disputed territories.
Masoud Barzani is a Kurdish politician who has been leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) since 1979,and was President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from 2005 to 2017.
The Parliament of Kurdistan,also called the Kurdish Parliament (IKP),is the parliament of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. It is made up of representatives from the various parties,lists or slates that are elected every four years by the inhabitants of Kurdistan Region,which is currently governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government. In 2009 an amendment was applied to the Kurdistan Election Law of the year 1992,changing the name of the body to Kurdish Parliament from its previous name,the Kurdish National Assembly.
The Iraqi Kurdish Civil War was a civil war that took place between rival Kurdish factions in Iraqi Kurdistan during the mid-1990s,mostly between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Over the course of the conflict,Kurdish factions from Iran and Turkey,as well as Iranian,Iraqi and Turkish forces,were drawn into the fighting,with additional involvement from American forces. Between 35,000 and 40,000 fighters and civilians were killed.
The Kurdistan List,also known as the Kurdistan Alliance or the Brotherhood List,is the name of the electoral coalition that ran in the Kurdistan Regional Government parliamentary elections in Iraqi Kurdistan in July 2009. The Kurdistan List represented a coalition of the two main ruling parties in Iraqi Kurdistan,namely the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. It is the successor of the Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party,usually abbreviated as KDP or PDK,is the largest party in Iraqi Kurdistan and the senior partner in the Kurdistan Regional Government. It was founded in 1946 in Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan. The party states that it combines "democratic values and social justice to form a system whereby everyone in Kurdistan can live on an equal basis with great emphasis given to rights of individuals and freedom of expression."
Nawshirwan Mustafa was an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the General Coordinator of the Movement for Change and the leader of the opposition in the Kurdistan Region from 1 April 2009 to his death on 19 May 2017.
The Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region is the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government,governing autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. The government is elected as part of the Kurdistan Region Parliament.
Kurdsat Broadcasting Corporation is a satellite television station in Kurdistan Region,Iraq,broadcasting since 8 January 2000. It belongs to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and is based in Sulaymaniyah.
The Iraqi–Kurdish conflict consists of a series of wars,rebellions and disputes by the Kurds against the central authority of Iraq starting in the 20th century shortly after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. Some put the marking point of the conflict beginning to the attempt by Mahmud Barzanji to establish an independent Kingdom of Kurdistan,while others relate to the conflict as only the post-1961 insurrection by the Barzanis. Since the US-led invasion of Iraq and the subsequent adoption of federalism and the recognition of the Kurdistan Region (KRI) as a federal entity in the new Iraqi constitution,the number and scope of armed clashes between the central government of Iraq and the Kurds have significantly decreased. In spite of that,however,there are still outstanding issues that continue to cause strife such as the disputed territories of northern Iraq and rights to export oil and gas,leading to occasional disputes and armed clashes. In September 2023,Masrour Barzani sent a letter to the President of the United States expressing concerns about a possible collapse of the Kurdistan Region following the suspension of oil exports,and calling for the United States to intervene.
The 2011 Kurdish protests in Iraq were a series of demonstrations and riots against the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraqi Kurdistan. The autonomous region experienced protests that were concurrent with the 2011 Iraqi protests and the wider Arab Spring. The Iraqi Kurdish protests were also related to the 2011 Kurdish protests in Turkey and the 2011–2012 Iranian protests,as well as the civil uprising phase of the Syrian Civil War.
The Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections of 2013 took place on 21 September 2013. It was the fourth legislative election in Kurdistan Region since 1992. The candidates were competing for a total of 111 seats out of which 11 seats were reserved for minorities. According to the Iraqi High Electoral Commission,there were 366 female and 736 male candidates for the elections. A total of 2,653,743 people were eligible to vote throughout the three provinces of Erbil,Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk of which 74% cast their ballots.
Halabja Governorate is a governorate in the autonomous region of Kurdistan Region in Iraq. The governorate was established in 2014,splitting off from Sulaymaniyah Governorate and becoming the fourth governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Its capital is the city of Halabja. Halabja Governorate is the least populated governorate.
Parliamentary elections took place in Kurdistan Region on 30 September 2018 to elect Parliament. The election came a year after a failed bid for independence and left the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) with 45 seats,that positioning it to lead the next regional government. Announcement of the results was delayed for three weeks. The KDP's historic rival and junior coalition partner in government,the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK),was in second place with 21 seats. The results suggest that Masoud Barzani’s KDP will take a dominant position in Kurdish politics.
The President of Kurdistan Region is the head of autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. They are part of the Kurdistan Presidency Council. The current President of Kurdistan Region is Nechirvan Barzani,who assumed office on 10 June 2019.
Pendro is a village in the Erbil Governorate of Kurdistan Region in Iraq. It is close to the border with Turkey and approximately 15–18 km to the north of Barzan. It is in the territory of the Muzuri tribe and Mount Butin is about 4 km northeast of Pendro. The area of Pendro covers over 10 km2 (4 sq mi). The terrain is highly mountainous,lying within the Zagros;less than 10% of the Pendro is below 1,225 m (4,019 ft),and its highest point is 2,534 m (8,314 ft).
Hemin Hawrami,,,is a Kurdish politician,writer and academic. He has been the Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament since February 2019. He is a senior member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. He was elected as a Member of the Kurdistan Parliament in September 2018. He was the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party's foreign relations (2011–2017) and later a senior adviser to President Masoud Barzani (2017–2019) for political and international affairs. He holds a PhD in international relations and he has written eight books in Kurdish on Kurdish politics.
Mustafa Said Qadir has been Vice President of Kurdistan Region under Nechirvan Idris Barzani's administration since 8 September 2019.
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan