Iraq’s Turkmen seek ruling on Kirkuk elections

Shafaq News – Kirkuk

Iraq’s Turkmen community has petitioned the Federal Supreme Court to determine whether the November 11 parliamentary elections can proceed in Kirkuk, MP Arshad al-Salihi announced on Sunday.

Al-Salihi told Shafaq News that the appeal was filed after relevant ministries “failed to complete a voter data audit previously recommended by the court.” Despite several meetings with the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), he added, the commission admitted it could not finalize the review.

He warned that holding elections without proper verification would mean relying only on the unified ID system, even though the Ministry of Trade has reported a population increase of more than 250,000 in Kirkuk—an inconsistency al-Salihi argued must be resolved before voting.

Kirkuk’s diverse population—comprising Turkmen, Arabs, Kurds, and Assyrians—has long been at the center of disputes over demographics, voter rolls, and administrative boundaries.

In the 2021 elections, Turkmen secured two of Kirkuk’s twelve seats in Iraq’s 329-member parliament.