EXPLAINER - Tensions rising in Kirkuk, Iraq as vote for governor, council head sparks legality debate

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Political tensions are escalating in Iraq's multiethnic northern province of Kirkuk, sparked by a recent vote for governor’s post and the head of the provincial council in the aftermath of an election marred by the absence of several Turkmen, Arab, and Kurdish representatives.

The vote, held in the country's capital Baghdad, has been deemed illegal by members of the local Turkmen community and other groups, who are now appealing to the judiciary after the country's president, Abdul Latif Rashid, formally appointed Rebwar Taha of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) governor despite the controversy surrounding his election.

Anadolu presents below a rundown of recent developments in the region based on reports and statements from various officials.

On Sunday, members of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, including five Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) members, three Arab members, and one Christian member, gathered at the Rashed Hotel in Baghdad to vote for the governor and the head of their council.

Those who took part in the vote supported the PUK’s Rebwar Taha for the post of governor and Arab member Muhammad Hafiz for the council helm, while Turkmen, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) members, and three Arab members in the Kirkuk Council did not attend the meeting in Baghdad and boycotted the vote.

On the same day, the head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) announced their refusal to acknowledge the meeting in Baghdad to elect Kirkuk governorship and provincial council helm, vowing to seek a court order to annul it.

“Neither the election nor the meeting in Bagdad is valid,” Hasan Turan told a news conference.

“Article 13 of the Provincial Council Election Law stipulates that in Kirkuk, administration should be fairly distributed among all components regardless of election results. In addition, holding the selection of the governor and council head in Baghdad, without any consensus among the components and in the absence of Turkmen representatives, is a clear and outright violation of the law,” he added.

Emphasizing that the session's results are unlawful and that they will appeal to the judiciary to invalidate the outcomes, Turan reported that even the oldest member was absent from the meeting.

Pointing out that the only Turkmen political party with representation on the Kirkuk Provincial Council is the ITF, he noted that no Turkmen officials other than local council members were assigned to the meeting in Baghdad.

- ‘Not a proper collusion to Kirkuk’s problems’

On Monday, the Kurdish Regional Government’s (KRP) Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Masoud Barzani, rejected the election for the Kirkuk governorship and provincial council head held in Baghdad, declaring it illegal.

KDP spokesman Mahmud Muhammad said in a written statement that the election results do not reflect the true will of the people of Kirkuk.

He urged that the solution in Kirkuk be “exceptional” for the well-being and stability of the city's residents.

“This meeting is not legal, it is problematic, and was not done properly. In our view, this action does not provide a proper solution to the problems of the city of Kirkuk.

“The resolution of Kirkuk's problems and the healing of its people cannot be achieved through rhetoric and political games. The solution is to not exclude any parties. The solution is for all parties to take part in the governance of Kirkuk with good intentions and to serve the people,” he added.

Expressing Barzani’s desire for the governor to be Kurdish, Muhammed said: “As a result of discussions, an agreement was reached for the Kirkuk governor to be selected through a tripartite mechanism, while the parties had demanded that the governor be from their own community.”

The ITF appealed to the Supreme Federal Court, the highest judicial authority in Iraq, to annul the Kirkuk governorship election.

ITF spokesman Muhammed Saman told Anadolu that they would not be satisfied with this step alone, stating that they would pursue all legal avenues to annul the elections.

Expressing their confidence in the Iraqi judiciary resolving the issue, Saman also said they expected the federal court to accept their demands and annul the Kirkuk governorship election.

- ‘Surprised meeting was held in Baghdad’

A member of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) said that the meeting in Baghdad of the Kirkuk Provincial Council was illegal and they would await a decision by the country’s top court on the matter.

“We were surprised that after more than seven months of local elections, the Kirkuk local government’s situation is being handled in Baghdad,” said Ersat Salihi in a statement.

Emphasizing that they would not give up the Kirkuk issue, Salihi added: “We will wait for the outcome of the ITF’s application to the Supreme Federal Court to annul the Kirkuk governorship and council speaker head election."

The ITF also called for a protest against the new local administration in Kirkuk, which consists of the governorship and the provincial council, claiming it does not represent Turkmen interests.

On Tuesday, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid submitted a republican decree appointing Rebwar Taha the governor of Kirkuk, said the presidency in a written statement.

- Local Turkmens stage protest

On the same day, Turkmens protested the Kirkuk governorship and provincial council head elections in front of the governor’s building in the center of Kirkuk, complaining that the process had excluded Turkmen.

The Turkmen protesters, who expressed their desire to have a say in Kirkuk’s local administration, chanted slogans such as "We will fight to take what is rightfully ours" and "Kirkuk is Turkish and will remain Turkish."

Arab officials from Kirkuk also supported the protests.

On Wednesday, Rebwar Taha, who was elected governor in the election held on Sunday, announced that he had begun his duties.

Taha called for dialogue with the Turkmen, KDP, and Arab members who boycotted the governorship and provincial council head elections and considered them illegal.

On the same day, the Turkmen language, which was supposed to be included, was removed from the document signed by Taha, along with Arabic and Kurdish.

"The new Governor of Kirkuk, explicitly violating the Constitution, has removed the Turkmen language from official correspondence,” the ITF said in a written statement.

"Governor Rebwar Taha has issued instructions for the use of the Turkmen language in all official correspondence among institutions,” said a written statement on behalf of Taha.

On Friday, Aydin Maruf, the KRG’s ethnic and religious groups minister and member of the ITF Executive Committee, called the meeting on the Kirkuk governorship and council presidency illegal.

He rejected the exclusion of Turkmen from the new local administration, calling the move unconstitutional and stressing that issues in Kirkuk can't be resolved through unilateral actions.

He said he expects a leadership that includes all parties.