A call for a “unified team”: Babylon Bloc and Kirkuk officials urge boycotting members to return

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the Babylon Parliamentary Bloc, and the Governor and Chairman of the Kirkuk Provincial Council urged the boycotting members of the Council to return and participate in local government administration.

Speaking at a press conference at the governorate building, Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha stated, "The Babylon Bloc, represented by its MPs and the Minister of Migration, visited us today to offer congratulations and address key issues of mutual concern, such as the displaced persons file and strategies to facilitate the return of those still displaced within Kirkuk."

Taha called on the boycotting members of the Kirkuk Provincial Council from the Turkmen Front to "return and work as a united team with others to provide the best services to the Kirkuk people."

In this context, MP Aswan Al-Kildani of the Babylon Bloc emphasized, “The visit aimed to congratulate the provincial administration, express our full support, and encourage the boycotting council members to return and work together to advance projects and enhance conditions in the governorate.”

In turn, Minister of Migration, Evan Faiq Jabro, noted, “Kirkuk has accommodated around 37,000 displaced persons in recent years. We are now collaborating with the provincial administration to develop a voluntary return program for those who are still in the governorate.”

Jabro also confirmed, "There is a program and high-level coordination between the ministry and the governorate to address the displaced persons file and ensure their voluntary return to their areas."

For his part, Kirkuk Provincial Council Chairman Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Hafiz indicated, "The council is working with the administration as a unified team and is cooperating with the Ministry of Migration to develop a plan for executing several projects in villages affected by terrorism."

Furthermore, Al-Hafiz urged members of the Turkmen Front and the boycotters to "return to joint work for the benefit of Kirkuk's components."

On August 28, Quhtan al-Wandawi, head of the Turkmen Front’s Kirkuk branch, stated that the Front would not engage in any dialogue with the local government until the Supreme Court rules on the legality of the current administration. "We filed a complaint and are awaiting the court’s decision on the legitimacy of the government and the Provincial Council," Al-Wandawi told Shafaq News Agency.

However, Kirkuk's governor, Rebwar Taha, who called on the Turkmen Front, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and certain Arab groups to end their boycott, asserted that the government Council and its cabinet were legally constituted.

It is noteworthy that the Sovereignty Party in Kirkuk, along with the KDP and Turkmen groups, boycotted the first meeting of the Council, protesting against the election process for the governor and council chairman, which took place at the Al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad without their participation, claiming it breached legal procedures.