KDP to boycott Kirkuk council meeting amid expected governor change

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) announced on Wednesday that it would boycott a key Kirkuk provincial council meeting slated for the following day, which is set to bring together Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen, and Christian representatives to address the potential resignation of Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha, a member of the KDP’s rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

“We will not participate in tomorrow’s [Thursday’s] session of the Kirkuk provincial council and will boycott it,” the KDP said in a statement, noting that the party’s decision is not political but rather “a continuation of our previous national positions.” It further warned that “deciding on the future of Kirkuk … without returning to the true will of the city’s representatives and the voices of its loyal people, harms coexistence and national achievements.”

The KDP characterized the boycott as a rejection of “a process where legitimate representatives are marginalized and decisions are imposed against the will of the people,” affirming that it “will not compromise on national rights” and that “securing positions is of no importance if the cost is subordination.”

“We will only support a consensus that justly protects the rights of all and places the dignity of the citizens of Kirkuk above everything else,” the party concluded.
The statement comes as the Kirkuk provincial council is set to hold a key meeting on Thursday, Rudaw has learned, with the main item on the agenda being Taha’s resignation from his position and the election of a new governor as his replacement.

Taha was named governor during a special council session held at the well-known al-Rasheed Tulip Hotel in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone in early August 2024. His appointment marked the return of a Kurdish governor to Kirkuk for the first time since 2017.

Nonetheless, the session was boycotted by representatives of the KDP, the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF), and the Arab Alliance, all of whom argued that it violated legal procedures, as the session was not convened by the eldest member of the council as required by law, and that holding it in the Iraqi capital was intended to bypass the objections of the other ethnic components.

Meanwhile, Rudaw reporter in Kirkuk Hardi Mohammed on Wednesday cited well-placed sources in the province as stating that while Taha is expected to step down during Thursday’s session, a vote will be held to appoint Mohammed Samaan Agha, the head of the ITF, as the new governor, marking the first time a Turkmen would hold the post since 1924.

The anticipated changes seemingly come amid intense political maneuvering within the Kirkuk provincial council. According to information obtained by Rudaw, the PUK has struck an agreement with Arab and Turkmen parties, under which the PUK would relinquish the governorship in exchange for several key positions, including several key mayoralties within Kirkuk, as well as the police directorate and the post of deputy governor.

The development notably comes just days after the controversial election of the PUK’s Nizar Amedi as Iraq’s new president in a Saturday session boycotted by the KDP, which cited a lack of political consensus over the candidate for a post traditionally held by a Kurd.

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