Iraqi Kirkuk’s top vote-getter vows to stay after record win
Shafaq News – Kirkuk
Rebwar Taha, the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) list in Kirkuk, pledged to remain in the province after securing the highest individual vote total in Iraq’s 2025 elections.
Taha received more than 96,000 votes, topping all candidates nationwide despite having no electoral base in Baghdad, Iraq’s largest constituency. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, he said the vote result “deepens my responsibility” to serve Kirkuk’s diverse communities and to represent their interests “in Baghdad and in any position I assume.”
His remarks came as Kirkuk enters a period of political recalibration following the election results, which shifted the balance among Kurdish, Arab, and Turkmen parties and are expected to influence the formation of the next local government and distribution of administrative posts.
Kirkuk remains one of Iraq’s most contested provinces, with competing claims among its ethnic blocs. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) won the province with 178,629 votes, ahead of Taqaddum and the Turkmen Front, reinforcing its position after years of fluctuating influence.
