Gorran Movement: In Office But Without Power

By Arian Mufid:

Gorran leader Nawshirwan Mustafa and KRG PM Nechirvan Barzani

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) international profile is more important now than ever. However, with the recent changes to the personnel of the KRG’s consulates and foreign offices, it is notable that no key posts were assigned to members of the Gorran movement, even though this party is a part of the government and the second largest party in the Kurdistan parliament.

When Gorran participated in the 2013 parliamentary elections, the expectations were different to 2009 when it first burst onto the electoral scene as a new party. In 2013 Gorran pledged to get into the corridors of power and join the new KRG cabinet. The Gorran leadership did not plan to stay in opposition. Gorran won 24 seats, one down on 2009, but its vote was up and it clearly beat the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) which only managed 18 seats; and so Gorran became the second largest party in the south of Kurdistan. This changed the political landscape and the balance of power, straining the Strategic Agreement between the two parties that had previously monopolised power, the PUK and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The KDP swiftly hosted the Gorran leaders at their headquarters and there were six months of intensive negotiations leading to the formation of a new government under prime minister Nechirvan Barzani; but still the PUK got more seats in the cabinet than Gorran, along with other posts that should have gone to Gorrran, such as the Governor of Suli.

Gorran took control of two important ministries – Finance and Peshmarga – but it has failed to exert any significant influence over the direction of the government and has been humiliated over the foreign offices, when it should have received a share of those posts reflecting its votes and seats in parliament. More importantly, Gorran in office has been unable to deliver on any of its key election pledges such as tackling corruption and unifying the Peshmarga forces, currently controlled by the KDP and PUK, into a national army. Gorran leader Nawshirawn Mustafa is known as a pragmatic man but most of us don’t know what he’s really thinking: all he has been talking about for the past six or more years is ‘Change’, and yet fundamentally no change has occurred. It took Gorran five years to secure posts in government along with several other parties but, today, while the ministers and senior officials keep drawing their high salaries, ordinary government employees go unpaid for three months. Gorran needs to awaken from a deep sleep and get a grip on reality. It must ask itself why it has been given zero influence in the KRG’s foreign departments and for how much longer it can risk being held responsible for abandoning the hopes and aspirations of Gorran voters.