ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid approved Adnan al-Shammari as the new governor of Diyala by formal decree on Thursday after a seven-month impasse in forming the local administration.
Diyala’s political deadlock was broken last week after the provincial council voted to elect Shammari of the Shiite State of Law Coalition as governor and Omar al-Karwi of the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance as the head of the council.
Rashid congratulated Shammari on his appointment and “stressed the need to invest in the diversity and pluralism that characterize Diyala to be a source of strength through cooperation with the national forces and movements in the province,” according to a statement from the president’s office.
The new Diyala governor also presented his agenda to the Iraqi president, aimed at expediting the implementation of projects and enhancing investment opportunities, the statement added.
Iraq held provincial council elections in December. Diyala and Kirkuk were the only two provinces that had failed to form their local administrations until August. Three issues had hindered the process in Diyala: former Governor Muthanna al-Tamimi refusing to give up the position, State of Law demanding the governorship despite only having one council seat, and the Sunnis demanding the position because the council seats are evenly divided between themselves and the Shiites.
Demonstrations were held by supporters of Tamimi in Diyala on Tuesday, hanging banners on governmental buildings that read “closed in the name of the oppressed people.”
Former Iraqi Prime Minister and State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki met with Shammari on Friday, discussing the need to enhance the security and services in the province.
Kirkuk is the only remaining province yet to elect a new governor. The winning parties of the Kirkuk provincial council elections have been at loggerheads for nearly eight months as the absence of a clear majority at December’s polls has hindered the process of appointing the next governor and forming the local administration.
