Kirkuk Court to rule on legitimacy of Provincial Council, administration amid political dispute

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, Iraq's Administrative Court is set to rule on the legitimacy of Kirkuk’s provincial council and administration following a legal challenge by council members, a source in the province said.

The source told Shafaq News Agency, "The Administrative Court within the Higher Judicial Council will review today the legitimacy of the Kirkuk provincial council and administration, based on a complaint filed by council members Hassan Majid and Shokhan Haseeb, as well as Arab and Turkmen members. The complaint, numbered 4828/C2024, dated October 2, 2024, seeks to annul the decisions of the August 10, 2024, council session during which Rebwar Taha was elected as the governor of Kirkuk.”

The session in question, held in Baghdad, saw the election of Taha as governor and Mohammad Hafez as the head of Kirkuk’s provincial council. However, key political factions, including the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Arab Coalition, and the Turkmen Front, boycotted the session, claiming it was held without their participation or consent.

“The court hearing, originally scheduled for October 16, was postponed to today to consolidate additional appeals submitted by Kurdish, Arab, and Turkmen council members.” The source added.

The KDP’s bloc in Kirkuk’s provincial council had already denounced the elections as illegal, declaring that the election of both the governor and the council president violated legal procedures.