"We did not intend to go to the polls for the Iraqi presidential candidate with two candidates, and the candidacy of Zebari is not to pressure or gain votes from any movement or block, but it was a reaction to the PUK insistence on nominating Salih for the post," Majid Shingali was quoted as saying by the al-Maelomeh News Agency.
Shingali added: "The presidency is the share of the Kurds, not a specific party, and there should be changes to the post, because presidents after Jalal Talabani did not play a big role."
The senior KDP member also said: "The political tradition regarding the election of the Iraqi president will change. The gap among the Kurds occurred in 2018 and we have clear agreements and commitments at the current stage and the number of representatives supporting each candidate in the Iraqi parliament will decide.
Meanwhile the co-chair of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Bafel Talabani, arrived on Monday evening in Baghdad to discuss the issue of the Iraqi presidency with the Shiite and Sunni political parties.
Also a high-level delegation from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) arrived on Monday in Baghdad to hold talks about their nominee for the presidency.
Earlier, the KDP spokesman said that the Presidency position is an entitlement of the Kurdish component, not a party itself.
Mahmoud Mohammed's remarks come amid a disagreement between the two leading Kurdish parties in the Kurdistan Region over the next President of the Republic of Iraq.
Reporter's code: 50101