No Tuesday session planned on Kirkuk governor’s post
Shafaq News- Kirkuk
Kirkuk’s provincial council has no session scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the governor’s resignation or choose a Turkmen successor under a power-sharing agreement to rotate the governorship, a political source told Shafaq News on Monday.
Also, no meeting had been scheduled to resolve the issue, with political and administrative arrangements concerning the governor’s position still pending, the source added.
“Since the presidential order appointing Mohammed Samaan Agha as minister of state was issued, no one has held the position of Kirkuk governor,” the source said. First Deputy Governor Rebwar Taha has not been formally appointed to the post, and no official order has authorized him to perform the governor’s duties, the source added.
If the governor resigns, the first deputy is expected to assume the duties temporarily until a Turkmen candidate is nominated to complete the remainder of the term, which runs through the end of next year, the source explained, warning that delays in resolving the matter could leave Kirkuk facing an administrative vacuum until an agreement is reached on managing the governor’s office, either through the provincial council or the provincial coordination committee in Baghdad.
The uncertainty comes amid continued anticipation over how the power-sharing agreement will be implemented and who will take over the governorship for the remainder of the term.
On Sunday, acting Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha said the province was experiencing an administrative vacuum following Mohammed Samaan Agha’s appointment as minister of state. Taha also said the Iraqi Turkmen Front was seeking to retain the governorship by nominating a replacement.
“The province is currently experiencing an administrative vacuum, and daily public services must continue. We cannot remain in this situation,” he told reporters in Kirkuk.
Mohammed Samaan Agha now serves as minister of state after parliament approved his appointment and he was sworn in. Agha has already taken the constitutional oath and is expected to formally submit his resignation to the Kirkuk Provincial Council, which will vote on his successor.
