Council members Raad Salih, head of the Qiyada Alliance, and Dhaher al-Assi said they are stepping away from the coalition but will continue their duties in the council.
“The Kirkuk local government has been formed for more than nine months, but we have not seen seriousness regarding the implementation of the political agreement on which the current administration was formed, chiefly the situation of the innocent missing and other prisoners,” Salih told reporters during a press conference.
The Qiyada Alliance, Uruba Alliance, and Arab Alliance hold a combined six seats in the 16-member council, the second-largest after the Kurds, who control seven seats - five for the PUK - and two for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Arab political parties in Kirkuk have been pushing for the release of detainees, most of whom are reportedly Arab, as part of negotiations to form the provincial government. They argue that thousands from their community have been unjustly imprisoned since 2003 in Shiite-dominated Iraq, over alleged terrorism links.
Assi said no steps had been taken to begin work on this issue, adding that their withdrawal was a protest against the lack of progress. “We are committed to implementing the terms of the agreement,” he said.
Salih emphasized that their decision does not mean quitting the council altogether.
“We have only isolated from the coalition, but we will continue our work on the council and attend all its sessions,” he said, adding that while most of the agreement’s provisions remain unfulfilled, they still seek to uphold a clause regarding the rotation of the governor position among the components of the city.
In August, the coalition controversially appointed Rebwar Taha of the PUK as governor of Kirkuk in a meeting held in Baghdad, attended by nine council members - five from the PUK, three Arab members, and the Christian quota member. Salih and Assi are part of the coalition that made the agreement. The KDP, Turkmen Front, and Sunni Arab Alliance boycotted the session, calling it illegal and later challenging it in court, though the judiciary upheld the appointment.
Tensions among the coalition’s members have been simmering since March, when lawmaker Wasfi al-Assi - chief of the al-Ubaid tribe, from which Dhaher al-Assi hails - condemned remarks by PUK leader Bafel Talabani describing Kirkuk as the “heart of Kurdistan,” calling them “provocative,” despite being in the coalition with the PUK.
He said that Kurdish political parties often resort to such rhetoric ahead of elections to provoke other components.
During the press conference, Salih urged other boycotting members, including those from the KDP, Turkmen, and Arab parties, to resume attending council sessions to serve the people of Kirkuk.
