According to Kurdpress, Bafel Talbani, the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, in the first statement after being elected as the Iraqi president, praised Foad Hossein, the candidate Kurdistan Democratic Party, and considered his role in maintaining Kurdish unity to be outstanding.

Referring to Foad Hossein's ability to win more votes, Bafel Talbani said that he could have won many more votes with more effort, but due to political consideration and in order to preserve the Kurdish unity, he took a different approach.

The head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan also emphasized that this decision was made within the framework of strengthening solidarity among Kurdish political forces and therefor thanked Foad Hossein for this political approach.

On Saturday, April 12, 2026, Nizar Amidi, the candidate of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, defeated Muthana Amin, the candidate of the three parties of the Kurdistan Islamic Union, the Kurdistan Justice Party, and the Patriotic Position Movement, in the second round of voting and was elected as the sixth Kurdish president of Iraq.