Kirkuk Council member alleges legal violations in local government formation

Shafaq News/ A member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, representing the Arab community, raised concerns on Friday over alleged "legal irregularities" during the formation of the local government.

Salwa al-Mafraji, the council member, told Shafaq News Agency that "the seven council members, who represent significant Arab, Turkmen, and Kurdish blocs that garnered over 50% of the electorate's votes, were excluded from the meeting."

"The official administrating the provincial council sent a message through WhatsApp late at night before the session but then deleted it before we could see it. As a result, we were not officially informed of the time and place of the session, which constitutes a legal violation," al-Mafraji stated.

She added that the second legal breach involved the council's acting chairperson, who was unaware of the session's timing, unlike the first session, where all members were present and engaged in discussions under the supervision of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

"Why was the second session not held in Kirkuk, a city with an actual model of peaceful coexistence, instead of being conducted in Baghdad's Al-Rasheed Hotel?" al-Mafraji questioned.

She also mentioned that Arab and Turkmen representatives had presented evidence of several legal violations to the Federal Supreme Court regarding the second session. "We trust in the fairness of the Iraqi judiciary and believe that the court will issue a decision based on the evidence we have provided," she said.

"We aimed to reach an agreement that included all elected members in forming the local government according to the Provincial Council Law. We do not wish for any further complications and are awaiting the Federal Supreme Court's ruling on what transpired during the session at Al-Rasheed Hotel," she concluded.