Iraqi Kurdistan Region’s President Resigns: Report

According to media reports, Barzani will not extend his presidential term beyond November 1.

A KRG official speaking on condition of anonymity said that Barzani in a letter sent to the Kurdish parliament on Saturday had outlined a plan to divide up the president’s power.

The official added that the parliament would meet Sunday to redistribute the powers of the president.

However, an unnamed source told the Kurdistan24 broadcast news station that the reports about Barzani’s resignation letter were “untrue”.

Last week, parliament decided “to freeze the activities” of Barzani, his vice-president Kosrat Rasul and the head of the presidential cabinet, Fuad Hussein.

Barzani’s current term was set to expire in four days, the same date that presidential and parliamentary elections were due to be held. However, those elections were delayed indefinitely last week, amidst an escalating regional crisis.

In defiance of Iraq’s stiff opposition, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) held a non-binding referendum on September 25 on secession from the central government in Baghdad, which slammed the vote as unconstitutional.

Iraq’s prime minister demanded on Thursday that Kurds declare their independence referendum void, rejecting the Kurdish autonomous region’s offer to suspend its independence push to resolve a crisis through talks.

Barzani has held the office of the presidency since 2005. The region last held a presidential election in 2009, in which Barzani won. His term of office expired in 2013 and was extended twice.