Muhammad stressed that making an agreement with the PUK does not mean that Gorran is giving up its independence as a party.
Gorran formed in 2009 as a split from the PUK. In recent years, there have been several abortive attempts to increase bilateral cooperation, most notably the 2016 Dabashan Agreement. Both share a powerbase in Sulaimani governorate.
The two parties announced on May 1 that they would run as a joint list, to be known as the Kurdistan Coalition. That agreement was formalized by signing official documents on Sunday.
Judging by its statements following Sunday’s signing ceremony, the PUK clearly sees the decision to run together as a significant development, arguing that it was an extension of the Dabashan Agreement.
Its official media outlet called the pact a “new phase in partisan life.”
Because of Gorran’s participation in the current Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet and party policies, a rift has grown between its current elected officials and the party’s leadership, with a rash of resignations of senior members of the party this year.
Muhammad acknowledged during his interview with NRT that “Gorran has internal conflicts,” but denied any disagreements over the electoral pact with the PUK or that it had anything to do with whether Gorran would be reabsorbed into its parent party.
“The unification of Gorran and the PUK is not something to talk about. We even did not think about it,” he asserted.
Muhammad also defended the party’s participation in the government, despite the unpopularity of its policies.
“Gorran can play a good role in government and outside of government. If Gorran had not been in the government, the salary cuts would be 50 percent.”
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