KIRKUK, Kurdistan Region— In an expected development, the largest political bloc in Kirkuk’s provincial council rejected on Sunday efforts to establish a semi-independent region in Kirkuk, voting in favor of a reintegration with the Kurdistan region.
The Brotherhood bloc, with 26 seats of the 41-seat provincial council, officially announced its opposition to the proposal, originally put forward by Kirkuk’s Kurdish governor Najmadin Karim.
Karim has said the registered voters of the disputed province will have three options at the long anticipated referendum; staying with the Iraqi government, reintegration with the Kurdistan region or simply becoming a semi-independent region.
According to the Iraqi constitution a province can become a semi-independent region if it wins two-third of the votes at the provincial council even without a public vote.
”Supporters of a semi-independent region now can only hope for a referendum which could be called for when they have the signed support of at least 10 percent of the registered voters within two months,” said Bokan Abdulla, a legal scholar in Kirkuk.
But the voter consent for a referendum will unlikely to be needed as the Kurdistan region is up for a public vote, most probably before the end of this year, in which also residents in Kirkuk will have the opportunity to make their voice heard.
“We are committed to the constitution article 140 and returning to the Kurdistan region,” said Muhammad Kamal, a veteran member of the provincial council in Kirkuk addressing a press conference. The constitutional article 140 addresses the so-called disputed territories across Iraq.
Though roughly over half of Kirkuk’s population currently consists of Kurds, the Turkmen and Arab communities are relatively sizeable in the disputed city, which ultimately makes their vote crucial to any referendum.
The Brotherhood bloc, with 26 seats of the 41-seat provincial council, officially announced its opposition to the proposal, originally put forward by Kirkuk’s Kurdish governor Najmadin Karim.
Karim has said the registered voters of the disputed province will have three options at the long anticipated referendum; staying with the Iraqi government, reintegration with the Kurdistan region or simply becoming a semi-independent region.
According to the Iraqi constitution a province can become a semi-independent region if it wins two-third of the votes at the provincial council even without a public vote.
”Supporters of a semi-independent region now can only hope for a referendum which could be called for when they have the signed support of at least 10 percent of the registered voters within two months,” said Bokan Abdulla, a legal scholar in Kirkuk.
But the voter consent for a referendum will unlikely to be needed as the Kurdistan region is up for a public vote, most probably before the end of this year, in which also residents in Kirkuk will have the opportunity to make their voice heard.
“We are committed to the constitution article 140 and returning to the Kurdistan region,” said Muhammad Kamal, a veteran member of the provincial council in Kirkuk addressing a press conference. The constitutional article 140 addresses the so-called disputed territories across Iraq.
Though roughly over half of Kirkuk’s population currently consists of Kurds, the Turkmen and Arab communities are relatively sizeable in the disputed city, which ultimately makes their vote crucial to any referendum.
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