Three blocs vow to dismiss Kirkuk provincial council chairman
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, members of the Kirkuk Provincial Council representing the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), along with the Sovereignty (Al-Siyada) and Turkmen parties, announced their efforts to legally dismiss the Council's head following what they described as an "illegal" session held the previous day.
In a press conference attended by a Shafaq News reporter, Salwa al-Mafraji, a member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council from the Sovereignty bloc, said that “the head of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, Mohammed Ibrahim Hafez has sent a letter to the members of the Kirkuk Provincial Council at 02:00 a.m. stating that a session will be held in the provincial council at noon.”
“All members arrived at the council, and we were prepared to participate in the meeting, as it was important. The agenda included discussions on the council's internal regulations, the appointment of committee heads, and the nomination of mayors for Hawija, Daquq, and Al-Dibis districts.”
Al-Mafraji continued that “the head of the council, after the end of the official work period at 2:30 pm and our exit to our homes, we were surprised by announcing through social media that the council had voted on committee appointments, nominated a mayor for the Kirkuk district, and addressed other matters. This situation bears striking resemblance to what occurred during the Rashid Hotel session, where Arabs, Kurds, and Turkmen were “excluded and marginalized from positions,” according to her expression.
Al-Mafraji criticized the head of the provincial council for threatening them with sanctions if they continued their absence from council sessions, stating, "We have been actively participating and are not absent, as the head of the council claimed.”
She vowed to take legal steps to remove him from office, but only after the Administrative and Federal Courts have ruled on the legality of the session held at the Al-Rashid Hotel.
“What happened yesterday in the provincial council is a legal violation, carried out without the will of the Turkmen. While the candidate is a member of the Turkmen Front, we did not nominate him to fill this position as such roles require legal, administrative, and procedural considerations. We reject the actions taken during the Kirkuk council session," she added.
Earlier today, Shukhan Hasib, a member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council for the KDP, announced that the Iraq Federal Supreme Court (the highest judicial authority in Iraq) will consider on Wednesday, the complaint and challenge submitted by KDP members of the Kirkuk Provincial Council. The case challenges the legality of the session held to form the provincial administration and council.
Hassib said in a special statement to Shafaq News, “The court will consider tomorrow, the complaint and appeal submitted by the members of the provincial council from the KDP. We are confident that the Iraqi judiciary will be the decisive authority in upholding justice and ensuring the rightful outcome."
The Kirkuk Provincial Council voted yesterday on its rules of procedure, the Turkmen candidate for the post of first deputy governor of Kirkuk, the heads of administrative units in the districts of (Hawija, Daquq, Al-Dibis), and formed 14 council committees in various fields and service specialties.
The Kirkuk Provincial Council held its regular meeting No. 5 under the chairmanship of Eng. Mohammed Ibrahim Hafez, chairman of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, in the presence of the members of the Provincial Council in the meeting room of the Kirkuk Provincial Council's office building and the presence of the advisors of the GovernorofKirkuk.
