New obstacle in Kirkuk: Ministers cannot be nominated for governorship
Shafaq News / On Sunday, the former head of the Legal Committee in Kirkuk Provincial Council Maan Mohammed Al-Hamadani dismissed the possibility of nominating current ministers in the federal government for the position of acting local government head in Kirkuk.
Al-Hamadani told Shafaq News Agency that "the new Kirkuk Provincial Council, whose results were endorsed by the Electoral Commission about two months ago, is now legally recognized, and its members have legal and procedural cover."
He added, "After 15 days, Acting Governor Rakan Al-Jubouri called for a council session, which was attended by several council members, including the oldest council member, to convene the first session. However, due to the Arabs and Turkmen not agreeing with the Kurds, no session has been held to date."
He further stated, "Administration of the governorate by any minister is not permissible nor feasible, as the council and its membership are governed by regulations according to the Law of Provincial Council Elections. The Parliament can dissolve the Provincial Council and hold new elections if consensus is not reached. Moreover, the law does not specify a time frame for agreeing on power-sharing among the winning blocs."
Al-Hamadani emphasized that "Kirkuk faced a crisis in forming the local government in 2017 after law enforcement operations, where administrative vacuum occurred after the withdrawal of the former late governor Najim al-Din Karim and 13 members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to Erbil. At that time, Arab and Turkmen members, along with members from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), attempted to elect a governor and hold a council session, but we were unable to do so."
He pointed out that "the withdrawal of KDP members, including the former acting head of Kirkuk Provincial Council, Rebwar Al-Talabani, in 2017, and the inability to convene members to hold a session led to the appointment of a deputy governor as the acting head of the local government. The Provincial Council could not convene, and the previous council remained until the end of 2019 when a decision was made to dissolve the local councils, and Acting Governor Rakan Al-Jubouri continued to manage the position."
Noteworthy, Kirkuk held its first local elections on December 18, 2023, since 2005. The Kurds won seven seats, divided into five seats for the PUK, two seats for the KDP, and one seat for the quota (Babylon), making a total of eight seats.
In contrast, the Arabs won six seats divided as follows: three seats for the Arab Alliance, two seats for the Leadership Alliance, and one seat for the Orouba Alliance, while the Unified Iraqi Turkmen Front won two seats.
The electoral scene is characterized by parity in the number of seats between Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen, resulting in none of them being able to form the local government.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani chaired two meetings for the winning political forces in the Kirkuk Provincial Council elections and announced a "principles agreement" to proceed with forming the local government in the governorate.
