Iraqi Kurdistan: Political Parties

Last modified: 2005-08-06 by joe mcmillan
Keywords: kdp | puk |
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• Kurdistan Democratic Party (Partiya Demokrata Kurdistane)
• Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
• Rizgary Party of Kurdistan
• Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party
• Other Flags Seen in Iraqi Kurdistan

See also:

• Kurds
• Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq
• Mahabad Republic
• Iraq

Kurdistan Democratic Party

Partiya Demokrata Kurdistane

by Manuel Gabina Villascán

In a Yahoonews report [no longer available] there's a picture of the raising of the KDP flag. The caption in Yahoo reads: "Iraqi Kurdish militia fighters raise a KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) flag in the Qushtapa area, 50 kms (30 miles) south of the Kurdish-controlled town of Irbil." The flag is yellow with a red disk with a stylized sigla PDK within.
Jorge Candeias, 29 March and 2 April 2003

In Flag Report 25 were reported the flags of the main opposition parties in Iraq. Before, in Flag Report 23, was reported the flag of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, with a red circle (previously reported as blue). It stated that the color yellow was used since 1946 as the party color. The circle means the mountains that protected Kurdistan throughout history. The designer of this flag was Hussain Haider.
Jaume Ollé, 6 April 2003

Former Flag of the KDP

by T. F. Mills

In 1946 Mustafa Barzani founded the Partiya Demokrata Kurdistane (PDK) [or Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP)]. In 1959 this was renamed the Kurdistan Democratic Party to signify that it stood for equal rights of all peoples who fell within its geographic jurisdiction. The Iraqi branch of the party eventually adopted a blue and yellow banner. The yellow again represents the sun (light, life, etc.) and is considered the principal colour of the party. The blue represents the "farsightedness and loftiness" of the Party's ideals. Barzani's son Massoud now leads the party, and it represents the more traditional and tribal parts of Kurdish society in Iraq.
T. F. Mills, 27 September 1997

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan

Yekiti Nistimani Kurdistan

After the disastrous defeat of the Iraqi Kurds in 1975, Jalal Talabani split from the KDP and founded the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), whose base is primarily urban intellectuals. The party's principal colour is green, but I have not seen a good representation of a flag or banner. In 1964 the Kurdish Revolutionary Party split from the PDK, and has almost always been a stooge of the Bagdad regime. I don't know about their flag either.
T. F. Mills, 27 September 1997

Rizgary Party of Kurdistan

by Jens Pattke

Here is the flag of the Rizgary Party of Kurdistan.