Administrative Court postpones ruling on legitimacy of Kirkuk's local government and council
Shafaq News/ A source in Kirkuk governorate revealed, on Wednesday, that the Administrative Court has decided to postpone its ruling on the legitimacy of Kirkuk's local government and council, following an appeal filed by members of the Provincial Council.
The source informed Shafaq News Agency that "the Administrative Court of the Higher Judicial Council has postponed its decision regarding the legitimacy of Kirkuk's local administration and council. The appeal was filed by two council members, Hassan Majid Rashid and Shukhan Haseeb Hussein, against the Chairman of the Provincial Council of Kirkuk. They are seeking to annul the decisions made during the August 10, 2024 session of the council, in which Rebwar Taha was elected as the Governor of Kirkuk." The court had scheduled the hearing for October 16, 2024, under case number 4828/C2024, filed on October 2, 2024.
The source added that the case has been postponed to allow it to be combined with similar complaints and appeals filed by Turkmen and Arab groups. The new hearing date set by the court is November 22, 2024, when it will review all the appeals.
On Tuesday, Shukhan Haseeb, a member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, announced that the Federal Supreme Court (Iraq's highest judicial authority) would review the appeal and complaint submitted by members of the council representing the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) regarding the legality of the session that formed the local administration and council.
Haseeb stated in a special interview with Shafaq News Agency, "The court will consider the appeal filed by members of the Provincial Council from the KDP tomorrow, and we are confident that the Iraqi judiciary will be decisive and uphold justice."
On August 10, 2024, the Governor and the Chairman of the Provincial Council of Kirkuk were elected in a session held in Baghdad without the participation of KDP members and several Arab representatives. Rebwar Taha was appointed Governor, and Mohammed Hafiz was elected as Chairman of the Council.
Before the session in Baghdad, three political blocs—the KDP, the Arab Alliance, and the Turkmen Front—announced their boycott of the meeting, declaring the session of the Provincial Council that led to the election of the local government and council chairman as illegal, stressing that they were not invited to participate.
On August 12, 2024, the KDP bloc in the Kirkuk Provincial Council declared the election of the Governor and the Chairman of the Provincial Council unlawful.
