“I submitted my resignation as president of the Iraqi Turkmen Front. I wish whoever assumes this position continued success, and I will be their supporter, backer, and ally,” Turan said in a statement.
The Turkmen Front is particularly active in politics in the disputed city of Kirkuk, repeatedly claiming that the city belongs to the Turkmen people.
“I pledge to all our Turkmen people that I will remain a soldier defending our just Turkmen cause, committed to the unity of our country, Iraq, and to the principles of the Iraqi Turkmen Front,” said Turan.
Turan has been involved in a deepening rift with Arshad al-Salihi, the head of the Turkmen Front at the Iraqi parliament and the head of the party before Turan succeeded him in 2021.
Salihi, however, is not expected to seek the party’s presidency again but will rather lead its list in the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections, scheduled for November.
Their divisions were particularly evident during Eid al-Fitr celebrations in March, with each faction of the Turkmen Front organizing separate gatherings for their supporters.
