ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Kirkuk’s provincial council held its first meeting on Thursday, amid disagreements and concerns among members about future steps.
The meeting was initially scheduled for 1 pm at the request of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, who on Tuesday had called for newly-elected council members to convene under the leadership of its eldest member.
The meeting, which lasted less than 30 minutes, was delayed due to disagreements among members, with some requesting that the session be closed to the media.
Parwin Fatih, a council member from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), said the positions must be settled within 30 days.
“We have reached that [stage] to be able to agree on designating the positions of the province,” said Rakan al-Jabouri.
Jabouri, a Sunni politician and head of the council’s Arab coalition, has served as Kirkuk’s acting governor for the past six years. He was sworn in before the local court on Wednesday to preside over the upcoming provincial council meeting, ostensibly losing his position as acting governor.
“We had a fear, not knowing until when this government [Kikruk’s local government] will be formed. There was a plan that the government would not be formed yet, only having this meeting and leaving it at that,” said Rebwar Taha from the PUK.
Regarding this concern, Hasan Majeed, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), told Rudaw that they had decided beforehand to have this meeting to legitimize the council.
“[The] governor [position] will be for the component that has won the most seats,” said Shakhawan Abdullah, deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, “... all components will participate in administering this city.”
Arshad Salihi, a Turkmen MP, told Rudaw that all parties have reached an agreement to form a local government, adding that the political parties "should not play with fire in this sensitive province."
"This council was chosen with the consensus of the people of Kirkuk," he noted," calling for an end to "racism and sectarianism."
Kirkuk held provincial council elections last December, but the absence of a clear majority and disagreements between the multi-ethnic province’s different components have blocked the formation of the local administration, the selection of a governor, and filling the positions on the council.
PM Sudani has presided over three meetings attended by the political parties who have representation in the council in the disputed or Article 140 province.
Kurdish parties won seven seats in the council- five to the PUK and two to the KDP. A coalition of three Arab parties won six seats. The council’s minority Christian quota seat was taken by a candidate close to pro-Iran Shiite militia groups and the PUK.
Since the fall of the Ba’athist regime in 2003, Kurds and Arabs have dominated the top post. The governor was a Kurd until October 2017 when the federal forces returned to the province after the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum and appointed Jabouri as acting governor. The city has never had a governor from the Turkmen or Christian communities.
Reporting by Didar Abdalrahman
