Peregraf
Tensions have escalated within the Change Movement (Gorran) following the appointment of Dana Ahmad Majid as Acting General Coordinator. His sudden rise has deepened divisions between rival factions just weeks ahead of the Kurdistan parliamentary elections. Veteran party figure Omar Said Ali supports Majid's leadership, pushing for the party to unite and focus on the upcoming elections.
In contrast, the sons of Gorran’s late founder, Nawshirwan Mustafa, oppose the appointment, demanding internal elections to choose the General Coordinator and Executive Committee members. They argue that the party's internal constitution has been sidelined in the rush to install Majid, calling for a return to the movement's founding principles.
Yesterday, the two factions of Gorran, led by Omar Said Ali and the sons of Nawshirwan Mustafa (Chia and Nma), convened separately. Omar Said Ali's faction endorsed Dana Ahmad Majid as the Acting General Coordinator, while the faction representing Nawshirwan Mustafa's sons opposed this decision, insisting on the prompt election of the General Coordinator and Executive Committee Members in accordance with Gorran's internal constitution.
These internal disputes arise just weeks before the sixth term of the Kurdistan parliamentary elections. The two factions hold differing perspectives regarding Gorran's involvement in the electoral process.
The faction of Nawshirwan Mustafa's sons has stated, "The new National Council of Gorran Movement will determine whether or not to participate in the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Kurdistan." According to information obtained by Peregraf, Omar Said Ali, who supports Dana Ahmad Majid's leadership, is also advocating for Gorran's participation in the elections and has persuaded Dana Ahmad Majid to align with this objective. Furthermore, Gorran's candidates are actively preparing for their election campaigns.
The Gorran National Council is composed of City Party Leaders and Chamber Coordinators. While the City Party Leaders have been elected, predominantly from the faction of Nawshirwan Mustafa's sons, the new Coordinators for the Gorran Chambers have yet to be appointed. Most current Chamber Coordinators are affiliated with Omar Said Ali.
An informed source disclosed to Peregraf that the majority of City Party Leaders, represented by the sons of Nawshirwan Mustafa, are insisting that the General Coordinator and the members of the Executive Committee be elected by the newly established National Council of the movement. Furthermore, they assert that members of the Gorran Chambers should not take part in the National Council due to their lack of reelection.
On September 21, 2024, a meeting took place at the residence of Dana Ahmad Majid in Sulaymaniyah, attended by several City Party Leaders and activists from the Gorran Movement. Rovan Sarwat, the City Party Leader of Gorran from Kifri, shared a photograph of his meeting with Dana Ahmad Majid, referring to him as the "new Coordinator of Gorran."
Dana Ahmad Majid, a notable figure in Sulaymaniyah and a former governor of the region, has recently returned to the Kurdistan Region after spending a decade in Europe.
In light of the inability to convene a general congress for Gorran, which is a prerequisite set by the Iraqi Independent High Election Commission (IHEC) for electoral participation, Omar Said Ali, the General Coordinator of the Gorran Movement, initiated a general power of attorney on September 19, 2024. This document granted Dana Ahmad Majid over 100 powers to manage the movement, leading to protests from a faction within Gorran.
The faction associated with Nawshirwan Mustafa's sons among the City Party Leaders of Gorran, following the meeting, asserted that "The internal constitution of the Gorran Movement serves as the foundation of our legal and organizational framework, and we reject any violations. We will pursue all necessary legal and political actions to uphold the constitution."
They further stated, "In accordance with the resolution of the second national conference and the internal constitution of the Gorran Movement, internal elections must be conducted promptly."
"The election of members for the Executive Committee and the Coordinator should occur simultaneously and as a unified process. The National Council will not accept any individual appointed to any position in contravention of the constitution," emphasized representatives from Nawshirwan Mustafa's sons faction.
During the gathering of Gorran City Party Leaders, it was decided that the Gorran Election Chamber would be tasked with establishing a date for the election of the Members of the Executive Committee and the General Coordinator.
The leaders affiliated with the faction of Nawshirwan Mustafa's sons expressed that following the elections for the Executive Committee Members and the General Coordinator, the newly formed National Council would deliberate on the issue of participation in the parliamentary elections, with a conclusive decision to be reached thereafter.
This faction, opposed to Gorran's involvement in the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Kurdistan—particularly in light of the party's recent defeat in the Iraqi parliamentary elections, where Gorran failed to secure any seats—aims to elect a new General Coordinator and Members of the Executive Committee. Their objective is to facilitate a new leadership that may ultimately decide against participating in the elections.
Previously, the Gorran Movement's Election Chamber had scheduled September 7, 2024, for the elections of the General Coordinator and Executive Committee Members; however, these elections were postponed due to internal disputes within the party.
Gorran is dealing with many other internal rifts beyond the conflict between Mustafa’s sons and Ali. Since Mustafa died in May 2017, dozens of senior party officials have left the movement and refused to reconcile with the leadership. They form a substantial dissident contingent that sits outside the party proper, but nevertheless influences its activities.
Informed sources told Peregraf that the party is unable to work with the dissidents for two main reasons. First, they object to Mustafa’s sons’ financial control over the party headquarters on Zargata Hill, a 122-acre property of prime real estate in the center of Sulaimaniyah city, and the Wsha Company. While these factors are a constant topic of conversation with Gorran circles, Nima and Chia refuse to acknowledge them as a source of tension within the party.
Second, the dissidents want the party to leave the KRG cabinet and officially resume its place in the opposition. When Ali and the party leadership decided go into government with KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, they declared that they would resign if the party’s reform agenda was not adopted. However, when the party’s proposals were ignored, its ministers stayed in the cabinet. This lost them the respect of the electorate.
Gorran performed terribly in the 2021 elections to the Council of Representatives in Baghdad, losing all of its seats. It is possible that The party will be completely wiped out in the upcoming elections. This represents a remarkable change offortune from 2013, when it won around a half-million votes and 24 seats in parliament. Since then, it has progressively weakened. The majority of its former supporters will likely sit out the election, resigned to political hopelessness.