PUK names Nizar Amedi for Iraq presidency as nomination window closes

BAGHDAD — The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan has formally named Nizar Amedi as its official candidate for the post of president of Iraq, party spokesperson Karwan Gaznay said Sunday, as parliament confirmed the close of the nomination period and reports emerged that incumbent President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid filed independently.

Gaznay said the party made a final decision to nominate Amedi as the deadline for submitting candidacy applications approached.

Parliament Secretary-General Safwan al-Jarjari said Monday that the nomination window for the presidency closed at 3 p.m. and that more than 44 candidates had submitted papers, with names to be announced later, according to the Iraqi News Agency.

A parliamentary source told the Iraqi News Agency that Rashid submitted his candidacy papers independently, without the approval of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan bloc.

Amedi, born in 1968 in the town of Amedi in Duhok governorate, holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and is a member of the PUK political bureau. He is married and has four children.

His government experience includes serving as an adviser to three Iraqi presidents between 2005 and 2022 and as Iraq’s minister of environment from 2022 to 2024. Within the party, he also heads the PUK’s Baghdad office.

Under Article 72, Paragraph 2, of Iraq’s permanent constitution, the process of electing a new president must be completed within 30 days of the first parliamentary session following the election of the speaker and deputies. Article 76, Paragraph 1, stipulates that the newly elected president has 15 days to task the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc with forming a new government.

The constitution also sets eligibility requirements for presidential candidates, including being at least 40 years old, holding a bachelor’s degree and having no convictions related to crimes involving moral turpitude.

The presidency, a largely ceremonial post with a central role in Iraq’s government-formation process, has been held since 2003 by figures closely linked to the PUK. Past presidents include Jalal Talabani, Fuad Masum and Barham Salih. Rashid has held the post since 2022.

The nomination comes amid renewed debate among Kurdish parties over how to select a nominee. Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani has called for changing the selection mechanism and urged a unified Kurdish position, arguing the presidency should be treated as a Kurdish entitlement rather than the preserve of a single party.

The Iraqi News Agency reported Monday that the Kurdistan Democratic Party nominated Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein for the presidency and selected Nawzad Hadi as an alternate candidate.

Under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing arrangement, the presidency is traditionally held by a Kurd, the premiership by a Shiite Arab and the speakership of parliament by a Sunni Arab.