At the board meeting of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (Yekîtiya Nîştimanî ya Kurdistanê, YNK) on Tuesday, Pavel Talabani and Lahur Şeyh Cengi Talabani were elected as the new party leaders. Pavel Talabani is the son and Lahur Şeyh Cengi Talabani a nephew of Jalal Talabani, co-founder of PUK and former president of Iraq who died in 2017.

The PUK appointed 121 members of its executive board at its congress in Sulaymaniyah last December. In addition to Iraqi President Barham Salih, the board includes Southern Kurdistan Parliament Speaker Rewaz Faik and deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Kubat Talabani.

Barham Salih is expected to be the new Secretary General of the party.

It grabs attention that two men have been elected to the leadership of PUK.