This is an excerpt from an article in our monthly Iraq & Kurdistan Focus publication.

The Kurdish region went into mourning last month following the death of Goran leader Nusherwan Mustafa, aged 73. He had been ill for several months and was being treated abroad but returned to his hometown of Sulaymaniyah, where he died on 19 May.

Mustafa was well known in Kurdish politics. A political science graduate, he took part in the armed struggle against the Ba’athist regime during the 1970s. He also joined the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), rising through the ranks to become a member of its politburo. In 1976 he broke away from the KDP and along with Jalal Talabani and a group of other Kurdish officials, to form the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Mustafa served as the deputy head of the PUK but, in the mid-2000s, fell out with Talabani and went on to form Goran (Change Movement) in 2009. After working as a potent opposition force to the main Kurdish parties for many years — focusing on issues of reform and anti-corruption — Goran achieved major electoral success in September 2013, outstripping the PUK to become the region’s second party in terms of votes. Under Mustafa’s leadership, Goran went on to join the government of Prime Minister Nejervan Barzani.

Things soon soured, however, as Goran continued to challenge the main parties and especially the ruling KDP from inside the government. In particular it sought to puncture the KDP’s dominance of the region and its control over all the main portfolios. He led calls for a change in the political system, from a presidential to a parliamentary one. Goran refused to accept President Masoud Barzani staying on in office after his official term expired. This created tensions to the point where, in October 2015, the KDP forced Goran out of government and brought parliament to a standstill by expelling its head, Goran member Yousef Mohamed.

A new start?

Mustafa was a very prominent figure in the Kurdish political arena for many years. His death has prompted speculation that the region’s main parties might finally be ready to embark upon a new period of co-operation.

It is notable that many key players from both the KDP and PUK made the effort to attend Mustafa’s funeral, which took place at Goran’s headquarters in Sulaymaniyah, where Mustafa chose to be buried.

On this occasion, these players made all the right noises about reconciliation. The KDP sent a very senior delegation to the ceremony, headed by Nejervan Barzani, who gave a press conference at which he lauded Mustafa’s role in fighting for Kurdish liberation and expressed his hopes that the region could “find a solution to its problems”. He also stated that he hoped his party could work with Goran and others.  … [article continues] …