Kirkuk council member denies PM Al Sudani's visit, calls for unified sessions
Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Ahmed Ramzi, a member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, announced that reports about Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani's visit to Kirkuk Governorate are inaccurate. He stated that there has been no notification of a visit by the Prime Minister to the Governorate nor any agreement to hold a council session. Ramzi called on council members to hold a consultative session involving all council components.
Ramzi told Shafaq News Agency, "The news about Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani's intended visit to Kirkuk is incorrect. We hope he visits Kirkuk to address its issues, as delays in forming Kirkuk's government affect the interests of its components in terms of jobs, projects, and services."
He confirmed that "there is no agreement as of today to hold a council session or elect a governor, nor is there an Arab or Kurdish agreement to proceed with forming the local government."
Ramzi urged the members of the Kirkuk Provincial Council from all ethnicities, Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and Christians, to "hold an open session to discuss mechanisms that council members can agree upon to bring perspectives closer and resolve disputes."
For over five months, the winning blocs have been unable to agree on a joint proposal to form the local government. Each bloc insists on holding the governorship, leading to discussions about rotating the position among Kurdish, Arab, and Turkmen blocs. This option remains under discussion and is awaiting a third meeting, the date of which has yet to be specified by Prime Minister Al-Sudani.
On February 21, the Prime Minister oversaw a meeting with all winning blocs and set a deadline of March 3 for preparing proposals related to forming a new administration for the Governorate and establishing a joint local government.
The redistribution of dozens of senior administrative positions among Kirkuk's components is expected, as most are currently managed on an acting basis. These positions include the provincial council president and vice president, the governor and their deputies, four district commissioners, directors of 16 sub-districts, and several general directors.
Notably, Kirkuk held its first elections since 2005 on December 18, 2023. The Kurds secured seven seats: five for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), two for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and one for the quota (Babylon), making a total of eight seats. The Arabs won six seats: three for the Arab Alliance, two for the Leadership (Al-Qiyada) Alliance, and one for Al-Ourouba Alliance. The United Iraqi Turkmen Front won two seats.
The electoral scene has become complicated due to the equal distribution of seats among Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen (8-8), preventing any side from forming the local government.
Prime Minister Al Sudani has chaired three meetings of the political forces that won the Kirkuk Provincial Council elections and announced a "principles agreement" to proceed with forming the local government in the Governorate.
