Peregraf
Dana Abdulkarim, Minister of Reconstruction, and Haval Abubakr, Governor of Sulaymaniyah, both of whom were appointed as part of Gorran’s political share in the government, have refused to comply with their party’s decision to withdraw from the cabinet.
At a press conference, Abdulkarim firmly rejected the withdrawal decision. "The decision to withdraw from the government is null and void. Only the elected council of Gorran has the authority to make such decisions," he stated.
He further clarified, "On October 9, 2024, a meeting claiming to represent the Gorran National Council was held, and two decisions were made. Both are invalid. I will only abide by decisions made by the elected council of the Gorran Movement."
Abdulkarim also emphasized his support for Dana Ahmad Majid as the movement’s new leader. "We all agreed that Dana Ahmad Majid should become the Acting General Coordinator of the Gorran Movement through constitutional and legal procedures," he said.
The Gorran Movement, led by Dana Ahmad Majid, announced on October 10, 2024, that it had decided to withdraw from the ninth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Most Gorran-affiliated ministers and officials complied with the decision, except for Abdulkarim and Abubakr.
A day after the withdrawal decision, Governor Abubakr declared that he would not step down. "I do not accept the Gorran Movement’s decision to withdraw from the local government and I am not prepared to resign as governor of Sulaymaniyah, a post I have held since 2017," Abubakr said in a statement.
He revealed that he had twice requested to be relieved of his post, in 2021 and 2022, but his requests were denied by the KRG. "For the third and final time, I call on the Kurdistan Regional Government to approve my resignation. As a technocrat and neutral official, I will continue to serve until either my request is approved or legal and administrative steps are taken to hand over my position to a new candidate," Abubakr concluded.
Gorran has been represented in the ninth cabinet of the KRG by four ministers: Awat Sheikh Janab (Finance Minister), Dana Abdulkarim (Minister of Reconstruction and Housing), Kwestan Mohammed (Minister of Labor and Social Affairs), and Kamal Muslim (Minister of Commerce and Industry), in addition to the position of Kurdistan Vice President held by Mustafa Said Qadir.
This decision to withdraw from the KRG is part of Dana Ahmad Majid's efforts to rejuvenate and revitalize the Gorran Movement.
In a bid to address the ongoing political crisis, the Gorran Movement has opted for change. As a first step, Dana Ahmad Majid, a prominent figure within the movement, has returned to the Kurdistan Region after a decade in Europe and has been appointed as the new General Coordinator.
Dana Ahmad Majid was officially entrusted with the responsibilities of Acting General Coordinator of the Gorran Movement on September 28, 2024, during a ceremony in Sulaimani conducted by Omar Said Ali. The following day, in his inaugural message, Majid stated, "We will reposition Gorran on the opposition front and will not engage in government participation, irrespective of the election outcomes."
Gorran was founded by Nawshirwan Mustafa along with several former officials from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The movement made its electoral debut in the 2009 Kurdistan parliamentary elections, winning 25 out of 100 available seats, in addition to 11 seats allocated for specific communities. This result took the two dominant parties, especially the PUK, by surprise.
Nawshirwan Mustafa's initiative tapped into widespread dissatisfaction with the PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), positioning Gorran as the primary opposition force in the Kurdistan Parliament and launching a campaign of dissent. For the first four years in parliament, Gorran operated as an opposition party; however, after the 2013 parliamentary elections, where it secured 24 seats, it joined the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
In October 2015, the Gorran-affiliated speaker of parliament was prevented from returning to Erbil, and Gorran ministers and officials were removed from their government positions by a decision from the PDK Political Bureau due to ongoing conflicts. Following Nawshirwan Mustafa's death, the Gorran Movement encountered numerous challenges, resulting in the departure of various leaders and factions. In 2019, during the formation of the ninth cabinet of the KRG led by Masrour Barzani, Gorran re-entered the power structure, obtaining four ministries and a vice presidency in Kurdistan Region Presidency, which negatively impacted its public image.