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Kurdish parties hold key meeting in Kirkuk as pre-election political jockeying intensifies
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region's two ruling parties - the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) - met in Kirkuk on Monday, marking their first gathering in the disputed city in eight years. The meeting focused on coordinating strategies as various parties step up political maneuvering in Kirkuk ahead of Iraq's November legislative elections, a senior PUK official said.
Following the meeting, Aso Mamand, head of the PUK's political bureau in Kirkuk, told reporters, including Rudaw's correspondent, 'When it comes to Kirkuk's political and strategic affairs, we must be united.'
He emphasized the importance of broader cooperation 'with other components and parties in the city,' while stressing that 'for Kurdish affairs, the more we coordinate with different Kurdish parties - especially the KDP - the more positively it will impact society and voters in Kirkuk,' underlining the need for unity among Kurdish factions in the region.
For his part, Hiwa Ahmed Mustafa, head of the KDP's organizational bureau in Kirkuk, said the meeting emphasized the need for "unity among all components, as well as Kurdish political parties and factions, in pursuit of shared interests." He added that the KDP and PUK agreed on the importance of "cooperating on national and patriotic issues and strengthening their relationship."
Floating atop an estimated 8.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil, Kirkuk is a multi-ethnic city with significant populations of Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen, alongside other minorities.
Along with other disputed areas in Diyala, Nineveh, and Salahaddin, Kirkuk was subjected to Arabization policies during the rule of toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, aimed at altering its demographic makeup by displacing Kurds and settling Arabs in their place.
Kurdish political parties have consistently called for the implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, which outlines steps - normalization, census, and referendum - to resolve the status of disputed territories, including Kirkuk.
In June 2014, Kurdish Peshmerga forces advanced into Kirkuk following the collapse and withdrawal of Iraqi Army units during a major offensive by the Islamic State (ISIS). They maintained control until October 16, 2017, when Iraqi federal forces retook Kirkuk in a military operation that followed the Kurdistan independence referendum a month prior, which Baghdad declared unconstitutional.
The Kurdish parties' Monday meeting in Kirkuk was their first since October 2017. Importantly, it comes amid increased strategizing by various political groups ahead of the November elections.
In early June, Tahsin Kahya, deputy secretary-general of the Iraqi Turkmen Islamic Union, told Rudaw that Kirkuk's Turkmen groups will contest the November 2025 parliamentary elections on two separate lists: the Unified Turkmen Front and the Kirkuk Turkmen Rescue Front. The split followed disagreements over list naming and candidate rankings. Turkmen politicians describe the move as a technical strategy to maximize their vote share under Iraq's current electoral law, with plans to collaborate after the elections.
Notably, the Kirkuk Turkmen Rescue Front is expected to receive strong backing from the Shiite-led Coordination Framework, reflecting a broader trend among major blocs to field multiple lists to take advantage of the modified proportional representation system.
Similarly, in late May, senior Coordination Framework official Ali al-Daffayi confirmed to Rudaw that the bloc will adopt the same approach in Kirkuk, describing it as a tactical move to boost seat totals - not a sign of political disunity.
Amid this political maneuvering, senior PUK official Mamand on Monday emphasized the importance of unity among Kurdish parties - particularly the PUK and KDP - to ensure strong voter turnout in Kirkuk's complex political landscape.
