“Fortunately, today, ten members of the committee participated in the meeting,” Abdullah Mirwais, a member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, told Rudaw. He warned that if absent members persist in skipping sessions, the issue will be referred to Iraq’s electoral commission to “send us their replacements.”
Seven members from the Iraqi Turkmen Front, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Sunni Arab Alliance have been boycotting council meetings since last summer over disputes about how the administration was formed.
Mirwais denied speculation that a “reconciliation” had been reached with the boycotters.
On Friday, council chair Mohammed Ibrahim al-Hafidh said a vote would be held on Tuesday on whether to remove six members who have failed to attend meetings for a year, adding that he has already filed a complaint in administrative court against them. He warned that missing Tuesday’s session could trigger their removal.
However, the council’s statement after the meeting did not refer to any such vote, saying that it concluded the session by making “recommendations” and discussing “internal matters.”
Silwa Ahmed al-Mufarji, a member of the Arab Alliance, returned to attending council sessions in June. She is aligned with former acting governor Rakan al-Jabouri, who strongly opposed the appointment of Hafidh as council head during a controversial meeting in Baghdad last summer. That session also installed Rebwar Taha of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) as governor of Kirkuk.
The KDP, Turkmen Front, and part of the Sunni Arab Alliance boycotted the Baghdad meeting, calling it illegal. Courts later upheld Taha’s appointment.
Mirwais noted that Mufarji rejoined sessions after deciding she could better represent her constituents from within the chamber. “She has reached the conviction to join the meetings,” he said.
The multiethnic province of Kirkuk is on the verge of political conflict as current governor Taha has signaled reluctance to step aside in line with an agreement that secured his post.
Dhaher al-Assi, a Sunni Arab member of the council, threatened legal action in a recent interview with Rudaw’s Hevidar Ahmad if Taha remains in office. He dismissed the possibility of ethnic conflict between Kurds and Arabs but did not rule out rising tensions with the PUK, expressing confidence that nine council members could be rallied to vote Taha out.
Assi was present during the most recent council meeting on Tuesday.
Arab members of the provincial council say they backed Taha’s appointment based on a deal with the PUK that now entitles them to govern the oil-rich, disputed province, claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad.
“If the hands of the clock turn back, I will not be part of this agreement,” Assi said, referring to the deal on the Kikruk governor position.
Taha was appointed governor after a contentious meeting in Baghdad in August last year, following months of negotiations. Only nine council members attended the session: five from the PUK, three Arabs, and one Christian quota member.
Nwenar Fatih contributed to this report.
