Kirkuk Council calls Turkmen Front and KDP to end boycott, ensuring “inclusive governance”
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, Mohammed Ibrahim Hafez, Chairman of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, urged the Turkmen Front and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to end their boycott and propose candidates for vacant administrative roles, while Raad Saleh, the council's Arab member, noted that the political agreement stipulates the Turkmen will assume the governorship after the Kurds.
During a press conference, Hafez outlined, “The council recently convened to address various issues, including the formation of a committee to revise the internal regulations, and discussions on job distribution among graduates.”
He reiterated “the council's commitment to improving services, implementing projects, and creating job opportunities.”
Moreover, the Chairman stated, “The council leadership plans to formally request the Turkmen Front and KDP to nominate their representatives for the vacant positions, in line with the political agreement among the blocs.”
In turn, Raad Saleh confirmed to Shafaq News Agency that “the political arrangement stipulates the Turkmen will take over the governorship after the Kurds.”
“The agreement involves a rotational system where the Kurds hold the governorship first, followed by the Turkmen, and finally the Arabs, ensuring inclusive governance.”
Saleh further urged the Turkmen and KDP to “return to council meetings, end their boycott, and collaborate to secure the rights of all communities in Kirkuk.”
The Sovereignty Party (Al-Siyada) in Kirkuk, along with the KDP and Turkmen groups, boycotted today's meeting to protest 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.
The Kirkuk Provincial Council is composed of 16 members, initially divided into two main groups. The first group includes eight seats: the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with five seats, the KDP with two, and the Christians, through the Babylon Alliance, with one. The second group, representing Arabs, holds seven seats: three for the Arab Alliance, two for the Leadership Alliance, and one for the Al-Ourouba Alliance. The Turkmen Front of Iraq holds two seats.
In a recent meeting at Baghdad’s Al-Rasheed Hotel, the groups were divided, with all five PUK members, three members from the Arab bloc, and one Christian member attending. Consequently, the PUK secured the governorship.
