The stage of explicit work
After the victory of the July 14, 1958 revolution, the political parties of the Patriotic Union Front of Iraq began their activities freely. The revolutionary leadership promised to grant official permission for the operation of Iraqi parties after the end of the transitional period, however, this permission was postponed until December.
On December 6, 1960, with the aim of granting political parties, Law No. 1 on Associations was promulgated by the Sovereignty Council of the Republic of Iraq in 46 articles. In this law, parties were recognized as working to achieve certain political goals, under certain conditions and conditions, all party members must be Iraqi citizens, and members of the armed forces, state officials in the diplomatic sector, and primary and secondary school students cannot be members of parties.
After the enactment of the Law, the leadership of the Kurdistan Democratic Party - Iraq, a delegation of 10 people led by President Mustafa Barzani and a delegation of 50 supporters, signed an official letter and submitted it to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior. On February 6, 1960, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior officially and legally granted the Kurdistan Democratic Party - Iraq permission to operate and allowed it to publish its central newspaper called Xebat.
The members of the committee for the establishment of the explicit work phase were:
1. Mustafa Barzani, President
2. Ibrahim Ahmed, secretary
3. Nouri Shawes
4. Omar Mustafa
5. Ali Abdullah Amin
6. Ali Askari
7. Abdullah Ismail Ahmed (Mela Mator)
8. Hilmi Ali Sharif
9. Ismail Arif
10. Shamsuddin Mufti.
Organizing a congress
After the Iraqi Ministry of Interior recognized the Kurdistan Democratic Party as a political entity with the right to hold activities throughout Iraq, the KDP leadership worked to hold a new party congress, even though the KDP had held its own congress in 1959.
After the internal conferences, congress representatives were legally and openly elected in all the Liq committees, district committees and public organizations. Then, with the presence of President Mustafa Barzani, the fifth congress was held openly at 10 am on May 5, 1960, with the presence of 168 delegates at the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the Sa'dun neighborhood of Baghdad.
First, Ibrahim Ahmed read the report of the previous central committee, then Nuri Shawes read the financial report and Omar Mustafa read the organizational report, as well as the report of the Supreme Committee for Evaluation and Supervision. Then, the congress decided to establish several committees to evaluate the complaint report, methods and programs, including the Program and Rules Committee, the Report Review Committee, the Finance and Committees Committee, and the Complaints Committee.
Due to the receipt of the working permit and the political changes in Iraq, some changes were made to the program at the fifth congress, such as the removal of Article 3, which referred to benefiting from Marxist-Leninist theory, and the clause that related to the right of independence of Kurdistan in all four parts of Kurdistan was also changed and this article was changed to "The struggle to support our Kurdish brothers wherever they are struggling to achieve their national freedom and rights and to provide the Republic of Iraq with support and material and moral assistance."
The constitution of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), based on the regulations of the fifth congress, consisted of the Cells, Organizational Committees, District Committees, League Committees, the Central Committee, the Political School, the Secretary of the Central Committee, and the President.
From the preparations to the end, the Congress was conducted in a democratic manner and President Mustafa Barzani was unanimously elected as the president. Then, a leadership was elected by the members of the Congress and for the first time, a woman reached the leadership position:
1. Mustafa Barzani - President
2. Ibrahim Ahmed - secretary
3. Nouri Shawes
4. Omar Mustafa
5. Dr. Murad Aziz
6. Ali Abdullah
7. Salih Yusfi
8. Ali Askari
9. Hashim Akreyi
10. Jalal Shiwani
11. Nahide Sheikh Salam
12. (Mela Mator) Abdullah Ismail Ahmed
13. Ahmed Amedi
14. Ali Hamdi Musa
15. Abdul Hussein Fayli
16. Seyid Aziz Shamzini
17. Nouri Ahmed Taha
18. Jalal Talabani.
None of Sayyid Aziz Shamzini, Nouri Ahmed Taha, and Jalal Talabani were named as members of the leadership, as they were officers in the Iraqi army and were not permitted to be members of any political party.
The members of the Central Committee were as follows:
1. Na'man Isa Barzani
2. Hilmi Ali Sharif
3. Heydar Muhammad Amin
4. Muhammad Haji Tahir.
The members of the party's political school were elected by the members of the central committee, including Ibrahim Ahmed, Nouri Shawes, Ali Abdullah, Dr. Murad Aziz, and Omar Mustafa.
The Supreme Committee for Evaluation and Supervision (Bala Supervision) was directly elected by the congress delegates, and they were Habib Muhammad Karim, Zekiya Ismail Haqi, Hormoz Nisan, Khalid Hassan Yusfi, Omar Hassan Bamarni, and the alternate members of the Supreme Committee for Evaluation and Supervision were Abbas Hussein and Yadollah Feyli.
Another decision of the congress was to support the Iraqi government against its enemies. Because the KDP had a formal constitution for the first time and could act freely, the peaceful situation and open political work allowed the news of the congress to reach the Iraqi media and spread it with great importance.
Source:
- Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, 1958-1961, Volume 2, (2012).
- Qanun Cemiyat, Micelt Alweqaya Aliraqiyh, Wezart Alirshad Fi Aliraq, Aledet 283, Baghdad, Alsibt, 2nd December 1960.
- Habib Muhammad Karim, History of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan-Iraq (in the leadership position 1946 - 1993), (Dohuk - Xebat Press - 1998.
- The Declaration of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan, Journal of Work (Al-Nizal), Issue 141, Baghdad, December 9, 1960.
- 5th Congress of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Roja Nu Magazine, Issue 3, Year 1, Sulaymaniyah, Kameran Printing House, June 1960.
- Sherko Fethullah Omer, The Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Liberation Movement of the Kurdish Nation 1946-1957, ed. Suwara Qeladizeyî, (Martyr Azad Hewrami Publishing House - 2013).
7. Abdulsetar Tahir Sharif, History of the Al-Hizb Al-Sawri Al-Kurdistan, Al-Tebet Al-Saniyeh, (Baghdad - Manshurat Al-Sawri - 1979).
6. Al-Mutameer Al-Aam Lil-hizb Al-Dimograti Al-Kurdistani, Jaridêt al-Sha'ib, eledEt 88, al-Sana al-Saniyeh, Baghdad, Alsneyn, May 9, 1960.
- Text of the program of the Kurdistan Democratic Party – Iraq, 5th Congress.
- Congress of the two national parties, the Patriotic Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Kurdistan, Yekîtiya Gel newspaper, issue 86, Baghdad, Friday, 06.05.1960.
- History of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Congress and Conference (Program and Internal Regulations), Volumes I and II, (Hewlêr- Rojhelat Publishing House- 2021).
