According to Kurdpress, in an interview with "Kurdistan 24" network, he criticized Bafel Talabani's policies in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq and said: "The history of the Patriotic Union belongs to me and my comrades, and before Bafel became the head of the union, I was practically excluded from this party.""

Regarding the details of his candidacy for the post of Iraqi president, Mullah Bakhtiar said that he was the victim of a "conspiracy" under the pretext of an academic degree; A degree that was recognized until 2013, but now the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education does not approve it.

".I was wronged and slandered," he said. "If it wasn't for the pressure of the patriotic union, I would have run for president

He also emphasized that he was promised by some Iraqi currents, especially the Shiites, that he would be elected as the president in the first round of voting.

Mullah Bakhtiar added: "If the post of president goes to the Patriotic Union, there will be no change in the situation." Previously, four presidents were from the Patriotic Union, but the situation did not change. Now the Kurdistan Democratic Party has become the first party in Iraq and has a high weight and influence in political decision-making, and this issue has made it superior."