Opposition backs out of Kurdish government

ERBIL, Iraq, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Members of the opposition Kurdistan Islamic Union announced they would not take part in the next government in the Kurdish provinces of Iraq.

The Change List and Kurdistan Islamic Union emerged as an opposition to the incumbent Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party during parliamentary elections in July in the Kurdish provinces, Erbil, Dahuk and Sulaimaniya.

Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish government, called on his prime minister-elect, Barham Saleh, to form a new government based on experience, not political allegiances.

Khalil Ibrahim, a top lawmaker with the KIU, told the Voice of Iraq news agency that his party would not join the new government, however.

"We have been officially invited to participate in the government, but we have announced our official and final stance," he said.

Instead, the lawmaker said, the KIU would remain as a viable opposition operating outside the Kurdistan Regional Government.

The efforts to form a new Kurdish government come as lawmakers face a frustrated population concerned about a lack of public services. The next government must also tackle territorial disputes and differences over sharing the revenue from Iraq's oil with the central government in Baghdad.