President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Masoud Barzani speaking at a press conference in Erbil on September 24, 2017.

:: Several parties in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, including the Gorran Movement, the Islamic Group and the Alliance for Democracy and Justice, issued a joint statement on Tuesday calling for the resignation of provincial President Masoud Barzani and the formation of an interim government.

The statement also called for a road map to calm the situation in Kirkuk and other disputed areas, “stressing the importance of preserving the sovereignty of the Kurdistan region and unity of the people of Kurdistan, and save region from the dangers of division and internal fighting.”

Interim government

The political parties also called for the removal of Barzani and the formation of an interm government:

“We are working with the political parties in Kurdistan to form an interim government through parliament to take responsibility for conducting dialogue with the federal government in Baghdad.

We are also aiming to preparing for fair elections under the supervision of international private organizations and completing the draft constitution in such a way as to keep the parliamentary system stable and prepare for the referendum and develop a special program to improve the living conditions of citizens.”

“The Iraqi government should deal with the disputed areas in accordance with the constitution and work to calm the situation in these areas and the return of displaced persons to their areas,” the statement said, adding that the presidency of the region should be dissolved and that its authority be transferred according to the law to the relevant authorities.