Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani is set to step down, following an independence referendum that backfired and damaged Kurdish hopes for autonomy.
Barzani is preparing to leave his post after Nov. 1, which was already the date set for the end of his term, but not many observers believed he would follow through on stepping down, Reuters reports.
A letter from Barzani read in Kurdish parliament Sunday states that he will not continue as president after Nov. 1. As part of his refusal to continue, Barzani urged the parliament to come up with a replacement to avoid the creation of a “legal vacuum.”
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