Several acting Iraqi ministerial officials were removed from their positions on Thursday under Article 71 of the 2023 federal budget, which obliges the federal government to terminate “acting” position holders in all state institutions by no later than November 30, otherwise all financial disbursements and executive authorities of the relevant directorates would be halted.
Jamal Kochar, a Kurdish MP in the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw’s Nahro Mohammed on Saturday that Kirkuk’s acting governor Rakan al-Jabouri must be removed from his position as well, since the article stipulates “all state institutions.”
Dara Sekaniani, a member of the parliament’s legal committee, said that the article applies to Jabouri too since the position of governor is on the same level as an undersecretary in a ministry.
“The problem is when ministers unseat high-ranking officials, they assume the duties themselves, but if an acting governor is removed it is unclear who will assume the authority,” Sekaniani told Rudaw’s Hastyar Qadir.
Arif al-Hamami, another member of the legal committee, agreed that Jabouri needs to be unseated in accordance with the article, and called on Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani to “apply the law as it is.”
The authority of the governor will be given to the deputies until provincial council elections are held, or the governor’s assistants if there are no deputies, according to Hamami. Jabouri currently has no deputy, but rather two executive and technical assistants.
The Iraqi Council of Ministers was required to send the names of the acting heads of independent bodies and ministry undersecretaries and advisors to the parliament at least 30 days before November 30, and the legislature must vote on them within 30 days, according to Article 71. The full list of names has yet to be sent to the parliament.
Jabouri was appointed acting governor of Kirkuk by former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi after Iran-backed armed groups and the Iraqi army retook control and expelled Kurdish security forces from the province on October 16, 2017. His predecessor, Najmaldin Karim, was ousted by the Iraqi parliament a month prior after he decided to hold the Kurdish independence referendum in the historically-disputed city.
Kirkuk is a multiethnic city home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen, as well as an Assyrian minority. The city was under joint administration before 2014, when Kurds took full control after Iraqi forces withdrew in the face of a brazen offensive by the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
Iraq will hold provincial council elections on December 18 for the first time since 2013. While the vote will not be held in the provinces of the Kurdistan Region, they are viewed by Kurdish parties as an opportunity to regain a foothold in strategic Kirkuk. Under Iraqi law, the newly elected provincial council will vote for a governor.
Jabouri is running for a seat on the Kirkuk provincial council. His tenure as governor has been a topic of debate over the past six years. He is accused by some of attempting to revive the Ba'athist policy of Arabization to weaken the Kurdish population, but others praise him for breathing life back into neglected Arab neighborhoods.
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
