Peregraf — The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Political Bureau announced on Saturday that it does not recognize Nizar Amedi as a legitimate representative of the Kurdish majority, declaring it will not engage with him following his election as President of Iraq.
In a strongly worded statement issued on April 11, the party said the presidential vote held in the Council of Representatives of Iraq violated internal parliamentary procedures and legal norms. The KDP accused the parliament’s leadership of setting the session agenda in disregard of established bylaws, calling the process “a legal violation.”
The statement also criticized the selection of Amedi, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) candidate, arguing that his nomination bypassed what it described as the traditional “Kurdistani mechanism” for agreeing on key federal positions.
“The position of President of the Republic is the entitlement of the people of Kurdistan—not a single party,” the statement read. “This candidate was selected by one specific party and supported by other Iraqi components.”
The KDP said it rejects both the process and the outcome, adding that it does not consider any figure elected under such circumstances to represent the Kurdish majority. “We will not engage with him,” the statement concluded.
The party confirmed that its parliamentary bloc boycotted the voting session, arguing that its absence should have led to the withdrawal of its candidate from the race. It added that its representatives in both the Iraqi parliament and federal government are returning to the Kurdistan Region for consultations on next steps.
Amedi, a senior Kurdish politician affiliated with the PUK, was elected earlier Saturday following a second round of voting in parliament, amid divisions among Kurdish factions and broader political tensions in Baghdad.
The KDP’s rejection underscores a deepening rift between the two dominant Kurdish parties at a time when Iraq’s political landscape remains fragile and negotiations over government formation continue.