Iraqi Judiciary rejects KDP lawsuit on Kirkuk government legitimacy: Source

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Administrative Court rejected the lawsuit regarding the legitimacy of Kirkuk's local government formation, an informed source reported on Tuesday.

"Today, the Administrative Court rejected the lawsuit filed by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) regarding the legitimacy of the Kirkuk government… It also postponed the lawsuit filed by the Turkmen Front and Rakan al-Jubouri [leader of the Arab Coalition bloc in the Kirkuk Provincial Council] until January 22, 2025,” the source told Shafaq News.

On August 10, the governor and head of the Kirkuk Provincial Council were elected in Baghdad. Rebwar Taha from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) was appointed governor, while Mohammed Ibrahim Hafez, representing the Arab community, was elected chairman of the 16-seat provincial council.

Before the meeting, the KDP, 3 Arab bloc members, and Turkmen Front announced their boycott, calling the session "illegal" and noting they had not been invited.

On December 4, the Administrative Court decided to postpone the ruling on the formation of the local government in Kirkuk to December 24. This is the fifth time the court has postponed the ruling on the legitimacy of the formation of the local government in Kirkuk.