Kirkuk Arab group calls on Iraq's top court to ensure "fair representation" in local government
Shafaq News/ The Arab Opinion Commission in Kirkuk urged Iraq's Federal Supreme Court on Sunday to ensure fair representation of all ethnic groups in the governorate's local government, warning that a misinterpretation of an election law could set a "dangerous precedent."
In a statement released earlier in the day, the commission said the Federal Supreme Court must uphold Article 13 of the election law, which mandates the inclusion of all communities in forming the local government. "Any deviation from this interpretation will establish a precedent that could undermine the concept of partnership, as some have attempted to reinterpret during meetings at Al-Rasheed Hotel," the commission said.
The commission stressed that the article requires the involvement of representatives from within the Governorate Council, rather than outside groups, in the government formation process. "Adopting a different interpretation could threaten national stability, leading to the marginalization of entire communities in a country with diverse ethnic, sectarian, and religious identities," the statement added.
Earlier on Sunday, a government source in Kirkuk reported that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met in Baghdad with Deputy Speaker of Parliament Shakhwan Abdullah, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc in the Iraqi parliament, head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front Hasan Turan, Sovereignty Alliance spokesman Khalid al-Mufraji, and former Kirkuk Governor Rakan Saeed Al-Jubouri. The meeting touched on recent developments in Kirkuk, including the exclusion of the KDP, the Turkmen Front, and the Sovereignty Alliance from the newly formed local government.
On August 28, Quhtan al-Wandawi, head of the Turkmen Front’s Kirkuk branch, stated that the Front would not engage in any dialogue with the local government until the Supreme Court rules on the legality of the current administration. "We filed a complaint and are awaiting the court’s decision on the legitimacy of the government and the Provincial Council," Al-Wandawi told Shafaq News Agency, adding that no official invitation for dialogue had been received.
Kirkuk's governor, Rebwar Taha, who called on the Turkmen Front, the KDP, and certain Arab groups to end their boycott, asserted that the government Council and its cabinet were legally constituted.
