patriotic union of kurdistan

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK or Yaketi Nishtimani Kurdistan in Kurdish) is an democratically elected Iraqi Kurdish political party led by the leading political figure Jalal Talabani, the political faction is based in the Kurdish governate of As Sulaymaniyah, in north eastern Iraq. The party intially appealed to the urban intellectuals class of Iraq, but has in recent years adapted and broadened its appeal to all sections of society. The PUK was founded in 1975 after the other major Kurdish party in Iraq, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP); the KDP had suffered a major setback after the Algiers Accord and was briefly disbanded. Originally, it was a leftist political movement which has progressively moved towards the centre and has now become a social democratic party. The PUK is a coalition of five separate factions which united under Jalal Talabani, also known as Mam ("Uncle") Jalal; the leading factions were the Komala ("group") and Shorish Geran ("revolution spreaders"). The PUK received grassroots support from urban intellectual Kurds, while those who supported KDP did so out of tribal affiliation. The PUK is one of the leading Iraqi anti-Saddam groups. Since the first Gulf War, the PUK has jointly administered northern Iraqi Kurdistan with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Part of this area was protected by the northern Iraq No-Fly Zone, although the provisional capital of the PUK administered zone was Sulaimaniya which did not fall above the 36th parallel and was therefore not protected by the northern no fly zone and faced constant treats from the central government. Jalal Talabani was a prominent member of the Iraqi governing council before the council was disbanded. Dr Barham Salih was formerly the Prime Minister of northeastern Iraq; he is currently the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister. The Minister of Irrigation and the Minister of Planning were also members of the PUK in the interim Iraqi government. A list incorporating the PUK and its main Kurdish rival the KDP along with several other smaller political groupings gained 25.6% of the national vote in the first Iraqi democratic, elections which were held in Iraq at the end of January 2005 and gained 77 seats in central government. The PUK has joined with, the KDP, and smaller parties to form the Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan as an umbrella group contesting the Iraqi National Assembly election, 2005.

Patriotic Union Of Kurdistan

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