KIRKUK, Iraq — One month after the Kirkuk Provincial Council’s formal establishment at Baghdad’s Rashid Hotel, several key positions remain unfilled. Representatives from the Turkmen Front, some Arab factions, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have yet to assume their roles, pending a Federal Court ruling on their grievances about the council’s formation.
On August 10, nine out of 16 council members convened in Baghdad, nearly eight months post-election, to form the local government. The Turkmen Front, certain Arab representatives, and the KDP have criticized the formation as “illegal and problematic.”
Council members assert that posts are ready for those dissatisfied, emphasizing that the council will continue its work, regardless of vacant positions. “Formal invitations have been extended twice, but no responses received,” said Parwin Fatih, a council member from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). She added that the council has the authority to make critical decisions with the nine members present.
The Turkmen Front and Rakan al-Jabouri, the former acting governor of Kirkuk, have filed complaints with the Federal Court, challenging the council’s legitimacy due to their exclusion and the meeting’s location in Baghdad.
Sawsan Jadoui, a council member from the Turkmen Front, confirmed that they, alongside some Arab representatives and the KDP, are withholding endorsement of the new administration until the Federal Court’s ruling, expected within a month. “We are waiting for a fair directive from the Federal Court and will negotiate to benefit all communities,” Jadoui stated.
In the interim, the Kirkuk governor has begun distributing administrative posts. Five advisors to the governor have been appointed: three for Arab communities, one for Shiite Turkmens, and one for the Kurdish community from the PUK.
Before 2017, Kurds held 60 out of 98 government positions in Kirkuk. Now, under the Rashid Hotel agreement, their influence has reduced to 16 positions, with the PUK maintaining control of the governorship for an 18-month provisional period.
