The Iraqi Kurdistan regional President announced on Sunday that he will not extend his term in office, amid a serious crisis with the central government in Baghdad over the region’s recent independence referendum.
Omid Khoshnaw, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, said President Masoud Barzani’s decision, which does not imply automatic resignation from the post, was made by the Kurdish leader in a letter sent to the regional parliament to be read in a closed session, Efe reported.
The Kurdish parliament is set to vote on Sunday on the possibility of dividing the functions of Barzani among the three powers; legislative, executive and judicial, until the new elections slated for July. Barzani, 71, won the elections in 2005 and 2009, and since 2013 has extended his mandate by a decision of the Kurdish parliament without the need to go to the polls.