The order is the latest development in the power struggle between Sheikh Jangi and his cousins, PUK Co-President Bafel Talabani and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, which erupted into public view on July 8 when the Talabanis ousted members of Sheikh Jangi’s camp from important positions in the party’s affiliated security forces.
The effort to sideline him initially appeared to be successful, with Sheikh Jangi saying he would temporarily step down from his position while a new leadership structure was put in place, NRT reported.
But on August 2, he reversed his stance, vowing to resist the attempt to remove him and not to leave the Region.
Sheikh Jangi had also been the head of the Kurdistan Coalition, an electoral pact between the PUK and the Change Movement (Gorran), but was replaced by Qubad Talabani.
Popular with the party’s grassroots, Sheikh Jangi’s continued presence in the Kurdistan Region has impeded the Talabanis’ attempts to solidify their control of the party and will likely prove a distraction during the upcoming campaign.
In its statement, the Politburo called on Sheikh Jangi to declare his support for the Kurdistan Coalition and the PUK.
It also said that all unofficial armed groups and crowds should disperse by Wednesday, likely a reference to armed loyalists that have been guarding Sheikh Jangi’s house in Sulaimani city for the past several weeks.
Senior members of the PUK report that there has been no progress towards mediating the dispute between the two camps.
In response to the Politburo’s statement, Sheikh Jangi’s office said on Wednesday that his departure from the Kurdistan Region would only be brokered through a meeting by the PUK’s General Leadership Council.
It is unlikely that such a meeting will take place in the near future. PUK sources tell NRT that Sheikh Jangi retains enough support on the Council to block it from taking such an action.
The Talabanis have relied on their supporters on the less-powerful Politburo to try to provoke Sheikh Jangi into reacting.
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