SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — The recent administrative restructuring in Diyala Province, a disputed area between Iraq’s central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), has significantly reduced Kurdish representation.
Following a provincial council meeting on October 23, key administrative roles were overwhelmingly allocated to Shiite and Sunni officials, leaving Kurds with just two positions: Khanaqin’s district mayor and Saadiya’s sub-district mayor. The latter is held by a Kurd affiliated with the Shiite Badr Organization.
The restructuring involved appointing over ten district and sub-district mayors, based on the electoral outcomes of Iraq’s provincial elections on December 18, 2023. Kurdish influence has notably diminished as a result.
Karwan Yarwais, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) lawmaker in the Iraqi Parliament, condemned the decision, stating it disregards the region’s ethnic diversity and the Kurds’ electoral rights.
“Excluding Kurds from key positions, especially in predominantly Kurdish areas like Jabara and Saadiya, threatens our community’s representation and influence,” Yarwais told *Zoom News*.
Historically, Kurds held most administrative posts in Diyala from 2003 until the events of October 16, 2017. The current reshuffling, driven by electoral results and political alliances, marks a departure from previous power-sharing arrangements, which saw Kurds occupying over 50% of administrative roles. Since 2017, however, Kurdish influence has steadily declined.
Zoom News has learnt the PUK had sought the mayor positions in Jabara and Saadiya but was denied. Previously, Kurds occupied three seats in the Diyala provincial council—two held by the PUK and one by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Now, only one seat remains, held by an Arab member aligned with the PUK.
Analysts view this development as a significant setback for Kurdish political presence in Diyala, reflecting a broader trend of diminishing Kurdish influence in local governance.
In the December 2023 provincial elections, Kurdish factions, running on three separate lists, garnered approximately 31,000 votes but secured only one council seat.