Iraqi president appoints Rebwar Taha as Kirkuk governor, sparking Turkmen protest

By Haydar Karaalp

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid on Tuesday appointed Rebwar Taha as governor of Kirkuk, sparking a protest by Turkmen.

"The President received Rebwar Taha at Baghdad Palace and handed him the Presidential Decree appointing him as the Governor of Kirkuk," said the Iraqi Presidency's Press Office in an official statement.

On Saturday, members of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), three Arab members, and one Christian member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, met in a hotel in Baghdad to hold a vote for the positions of governor and council president.

Those who participated in the vote supported PUK's Rebwar Taha for the governorship and Arab member Mohammed Hafez for the council presidency.

The PUK claimed that Taha was elected as governor.

However, members of the Turkmen, Kurdistan Democratic Party, and three Arab members of the Kirkuk Council boycotted the vote and did not attend the meeting.

The Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) stated that the meeting was not legal and appealed to the High Federal Court for its annulment.

The ITF called on Turkmens in Kirkuk to gather in front of the Kirkuk Governorate building at 6 p.m. (1500GMT) to protest the meeting, with Arabs in Kirkuk also expected to join the protest.

The Kirkuk Provincial Council consists of 16 members.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul