Hakim urges Kurdish unity on presidential nominee in meeting with PUK

BAGHDAD — Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Hikma Movement, met Monday with a delegation from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan led by its presidential candidate Nizar Amedi, according to a statement from his media office.

The statement said Hakim met the delegation at his office in Baghdad, where the two sides exchanged views on “developments in the political scene in Iraq and the region,” as well as constitutional entitlements and “resolving the remaining issues of the three presidencies.”

According to the statement, Hakim stressed “the importance of adhering to the constitution as the governing framework of the political process” and called for “unifying the Kurdish position and agreeing on a single candidate.”

He said such a step would “ease the task for the rest of the political blocs and contribute to accelerating the completion of constitutional entitlements,” the statement said.

Hakim also emphasized “adopting the principle of partnership and national interest in dealing with entitlements and confronting challenges,” according to the statement.

Earlier this month, parliament postponed a scheduled session to elect the president without setting a new date, leaving the country under a caretaker government with limited powers.

Iraq’s government formation has stalled since the 2025 parliamentary elections. Under Article 72 of the constitution, parliament must elect a president within 30 days of its first session — a deadline that has passed. The president then nominates a prime minister candidate to form a government.

Kurdish parties, which customarily hold the presidency under Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing arrangement, have yet to agree on a unified candidate.

At the same time, the Shiite Coordination Framework nominated al-Maliki, who served from 2006 to 2014, prompting debate among Iraqi political forces. He stepped down in 2014 under pressure following security failures, including the fall of Mosul to the Islamic State group.

The nomination also drew reactions abroad. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that the United States would not continue its support for Iraq if al-Maliki returned to office.