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One of
Iraq's two top Kurdish leaders is to be a candidate
for the post of prime minister or president in any
future government, according to his political rival.
Kurdistan Democratic Party chief Masud Barzani said
on Thursday that both Kurdish parties had agreed
Jalal Talabani should be their candidate for one of
the key posts in Baghdad.
"Either president or the prime minister, we will not
accept other than that", Barzani said. Talabani is
head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the other
main Kurdish political party.
Together the two groups claim to represent about 90%
of people in the Kurdish northern regions of Iraq.
And despite fighting a civil war in the 1990s, both
leaders formed an alliance to contest the elections.
The Kurdish alliance is widely expected to come
second or third in the elections, with a Shia bloc
certain to win.
Political horse-trading
Kurds represent about 15% of Iraq's 27 million
strong population. They are mainly based in three
northern provinces close to the Turkish and Iranian
borders.
Turnout in Sunday's election is believed to have
been very strong in the Kurdish region and the Kurds
are expected to be powerful players when it comes to
determining who takes the top positions in Iraq's
next government.
Final results from the poll are not expected to be
known for at least another week. Once the results
are known, a 275-member National Assembly will be
inaugurated and then a government formed.
The government will comprise a presidential council
of a president and two vice-presidents, who will
then decide on a prime minister and a cabinet of
ministers.
Much of the horse-trading to determine the top four
positions - president, vice-presidents and prime
minister - is expected to take place in the days
ahead, as the final results of the election are
being determined.
Aljazeera.Net
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