Gorran's Nawshirwan Mustafa Sons Faction Calls for Suspension of Party's Political Activities

Peregraf

The faction of Gorran's Zargata Hill, aligned with the sons of the party’s late founder Nawshirwan Mustafa, has formally requested that the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) suspend the political activities of the Gorran (Change) Movement due to unresolved internal disputes.

A letter submitted to IHEC on June 17, 2025, by Yasin Hama Ali—authorized by the Zargata Hill faction to represent them in dealings with the commission—argues that Gorran's political operations should be halted until an internal understanding is reached and a unified founding conference can be held. The party has failed twice to convene such a conference amid deep divisions between rival wings. Peregraf has obtained a copy of the letter.

The request comes in direct opposition to another appeal made by Gorran’s Kurdsat faction, led by acting General Coordinator Dana Ahmed Majid, which asked the Commission to recognize the May 24, 2025 conference as valid. Although the event was not officially postponed, the Kurdsat side maintains that IHEC’s presence and oversight, combined with their majority representation, justify its recognition.

However, IHEC has thus far refrained from validating the conference, citing the disorder and lack of quorum. During the May 24 session, chaos erupted inside the election hall, forcing the Commission to cancel the meeting. A representative from IHEC pointed directly at the Zargata Hill faction during the turmoil, saying, “Because of Mr. Yasin and the chaos created here, the conference was postponed.”

The clash between the two main factions—Zargata Hill and Kurdsat—has intensified over control of the party and its direction. Zargata Hill has pushed for a delay in electing new leadership, while Kurdsat insisted on moving forward with the vote. Hundreds of party members attended the disrupted May 24 gathering, sitting separately based on factional affiliation.

IHEC had also rejected both factions’ earlier attempts to hold separate conferences in April, citing a lack of oversight and procedural irregularities.

Despite the May 24 attempt being billed as a joint, unifying conference, internal tensions and factional disputes undermined the event. The Kurdsat wing backed Dana Ahmed Majid as the sole nominee for general coordinator, while the Zargata Hill group rejected the vote, claiming they had preserved the party’s original structure and would hold internal consultations before electing leadership.

A Kurdsat representative told Peregraf, “We want the General Coordinator to be elected from among all members of the conference,” emphasizing the urgency to restore party legitimacy. Meanwhile, a Zargata Hill spokesperson said their April 5 meeting preserved the organizational structure and that leadership appointments would come later.

Founded in 2009 by Nawshirwan Mustafa, Gorran once emerged as a powerful reformist force, winning 25 parliamentary seats in its first election and challenging the dominance of the KDP and PUK. But since Mustafa’s death, the party has declined rapidly amid leadership crises, unpopular alliances, and a collapse in public support. It secured only one seat in the 2021 parliamentary elections.

Unless Gorran holds a legally recognized founding conference soon, the party risks being excluded from Iraq’s November 11 national elections. IHEC has made clear that any future attempt must meet quorum and comply with its full legal and procedural requirements.

With rival factions locked in a power struggle and repeated failures to unify, the once-prominent Gorran Movement now faces a potential collapse.