Kirkuk governor nominated for cabinet post
Shafaq News- Kirkuk
Kirkuk Governor Mohammed Samaan Agha has been nominated for a cabinet post in Ali Al-Zaidi’s government, with a vote on the cabinet lineup expected within the next two days, a political source familiar with the matter told Shafaq News on Wednesday.
Agha’s appointment would be politically significant, as he currently heads the Iraqi Turkmen Front and serves as Kirkuk governor, the source said. “He would be among the first figures to combine leadership of the Turkmen Front with a federal ministerial position.”
The ministry Agha would head, reportedly likely the Ministry of State for Provincial Affairs, as well as arrangements for administering Kirkuk if he leaves the governorship, will depend on ongoing political negotiations and agreements, the source added.
No official announcement has been made confirming Agha’s nomination.
Agha became governor of Kirkuk on April 16 and has headed the Iraqi Turkmen Front since 2025, making him the first Turkmen to serve as governor of Kirkuk in decades.
The Iraqi parliament is expected to hold a session next week to finalize the cabinet lineup, another source familiar with the matter told Shafaq News, noting that disagreements also persist over nominees for the ministries of Labor and Social Affairs, Youth and Sports, and Planning and Construction and Housing.
The State of Law Coalition (SLC), led by former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, has formally nominated Yasser Sakheel for the Interior Ministry and Haider Bahaa, currently dean of the College of Pharmacy at Al-Nahrain University, for the Higher Education Ministry.
