Despite political tensions, Kirkuk Council to hold public session on Saturday

Shafaq News/ The Kirkuk Provincial Council will hold a public session at 3 pm on Saturday, with all 16 members invited to attend.

A source told Shafaq News Agency that the session, headed by Council chairman Mohammed Ibrahim Hafez, will address three key agenda items: the formation of a committee to review the council's internal regulations and appoint its members, discussion of Turkmen candidates for vacant political positions in accordance with political agreements, and the allocation and distribution of 7,000 new job positions for Kirkuk.

Mohammed Mahdi al-Bayati, a leading figure in the Badr Organization and head of the northern branch, has called on all council members to attend the session. Al-Bayati, in a statement, stressed the need for members to "engage in the meeting and perform their legal roles effectively, despite any objections they might have."

The Sovereignty Party (Al-Siyada) in Kirkuk, along with the Kurdistan Democratic Party and Turkmen groups, announced their boycott of today's meeting. They protested the process used to elect the governor and council president, which took place at the Al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad without their participation, alleging it violated legal procedures.

The Kirkuk Provincial Council consists of 16 members, divided initially into two main groups. The first group held eight seats: the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan won five seats, the Kurdistan Democratic Party secured two, and the Christians, through the Babylon Alliance, gained one seat.

The second group, consisting of 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 has two seats.

However, 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. As a result, the PUK secured the governorship.