Shafaq News- Baghdad

Qais al-Khazali, leader of Iraq's Asaib Ahl al-Haq, has entered political negotiations over the selection of Kirkuk's next governor, insisting that the position should go to a Shiite figure under an earlier power-sharing agreement with incumbent Governor Mohammed Samaan Agha, a political source told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

The previous understanding stipulated that Samaan Agha, a Sunni figure, would receive a ministerial position in exchange for allocating the governorship to a Shiite representative as part of an arrangement to rotate senior positions among the province's communities, according to the source.

Al-Khazali's objection is not directed at Turkmen candidate Qahtan al-Wandawi personally, but rather at the principle of assigning the governorship to a Sunni figure when the earlier agreement stipulated that it should go to a Shiite representative, the source explained.

“The disagreement could delay a Kirkuk Provincial Council session scheduled for Wednesday to elect a new governor if the political parties involved fail to reach an understanding,” the source noted.

Earlier in the day, a political source in Kirkuk told Shafaq News that the provincial council planned to hold the session at 4 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss Samaan Agha's resignation as minister of state and governor of Kirkuk, and elect his successor. Al-Wandawi was among the candidates expected to be considered for the position.

In a separate development, Al-Khazali met with a delegation from the Arab Alliance bloc in the Kirkuk Provincial Council, led by Rakan al-Jubouri, to discuss developments in the province and the political representation of its Arab community.

A statement from Khazali's office said the meeting took place at his Baghdad office on Tuesday. The delegation also included Sheikh Dhahir al-Asi, Raad al-Saleh and Ahmed al-Hamdani.

According to the statement, discussions focused on developments in Kirkuk and ways to preserve the Arab community's political entitlements and ensure its representation in accordance with agreed allocations.

On October 28, Samaan Agha said he remained committed to the agreement to rotate the governorship among the province's communities. He also expressed readiness to resign if the provincial council convened to select a Turkmen successor in line with the agreed timetable.