KDP, PUK discuss working together for Kirkuk’s provincial council
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Local officials of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on Tuesday held a meeting in Kirkuk discussing the possibility of joining forces for the provincial council.
Tuesday’s meeting marked the first of its kind between the two ruling Kurdish parties in Kirkuk since the Iraqi army and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) retook control of the city and expelled the Peshmerga forces.
“There was a good understanding for good relations and we decided to work together,” Mohammed Kamal, a Kirkuk KDP official, told reporters following the meeting, stressing that all the parties in the province need to work together on the council.
Rawand Mala Mahmoud, a PUK official in Kirkuk, said that it was necessary for all of Kirkuk’s different ethnicities to reach an understanding when it comes to forming the local government.
“We had a serious discussion [on forming the local government], and they agreed that we need to unite our own [Kurdish] camp and reach agreements with the other camps,” the PUK official told Rudaw’s Hardi Mohammed.
The PUK, received the highest number of votes in Kirkuk’s provincial elections on December 18, securing five spots on the 16-seat council. The KDP has two seats on the council.
Mahmoud stressed that the PUK is entitled to Kirkuk’s governorship based on the election results.
Arabs have six seats on the council and the Turkmens have two. They are expected to join forces within the council, forming a strong eight-seat opposition challenging the Kurds’ ambition to return a Kurdish governor to the province.
The two Kurdish parties have seven seats on the council. The winner of the minority quota, Injeel al-Barwari, is reportedly linked to the PUK, which could mean the council is evenly split if the Kurdish parties can work together, but that remains uncertain as they are feuding over economic and governance issues in the Kurdistan Region and have not cooperated in Kirkuk for years.
The Iraqi federal government’s return to power in Kirkuk in 2017 also marked the first time the province’s governorship was filled by a non-Kurdish politician since 2003. Rakan al-Jabouri, a Sunni politician and head of the Arab coalition has served as Kirkuk’s acting governor for the past six years.
Two amendments made to the provincial council elections law in May, which apply only to Kirkuk, make it difficult to predict who will fill the province’s governor seat next.
One amendment states that “the results of the elections shall not act as a legal or administrative basis to determine the future of Kirkuk province.”
“Power shall be distributed in a fair representation which guarantees the participation of the province’s components regardless of the results of the elections,” reads another amendment.
Tuesday’s meeting marked the first of its kind between the two ruling Kurdish parties in Kirkuk since the Iraqi army and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) retook control of the city and expelled the Peshmerga forces.
“There was a good understanding for good relations and we decided to work together,” Mohammed Kamal, a Kirkuk KDP official, told reporters following the meeting, stressing that all the parties in the province need to work together on the council.
Rawand Mala Mahmoud, a PUK official in Kirkuk, said that it was necessary for all of Kirkuk’s different ethnicities to reach an understanding when it comes to forming the local government.
“We had a serious discussion [on forming the local government], and they agreed that we need to unite our own [Kurdish] camp and reach agreements with the other camps,” the PUK official told Rudaw’s Hardi Mohammed.
The PUK, received the highest number of votes in Kirkuk’s provincial elections on December 18, securing five spots on the 16-seat council. The KDP has two seats on the council.
Mahmoud stressed that the PUK is entitled to Kirkuk’s governorship based on the election results.
Arabs have six seats on the council and the Turkmens have two. They are expected to join forces within the council, forming a strong eight-seat opposition challenging the Kurds’ ambition to return a Kurdish governor to the province.
The two Kurdish parties have seven seats on the council. The winner of the minority quota, Injeel al-Barwari, is reportedly linked to the PUK, which could mean the council is evenly split if the Kurdish parties can work together, but that remains uncertain as they are feuding over economic and governance issues in the Kurdistan Region and have not cooperated in Kirkuk for years.
The Iraqi federal government’s return to power in Kirkuk in 2017 also marked the first time the province’s governorship was filled by a non-Kurdish politician since 2003. Rakan al-Jabouri, a Sunni politician and head of the Arab coalition has served as Kirkuk’s acting governor for the past six years.
Two amendments made to the provincial council elections law in May, which apply only to Kirkuk, make it difficult to predict who will fill the province’s governor seat next.
One amendment states that “the results of the elections shall not act as a legal or administrative basis to determine the future of Kirkuk province.”
“Power shall be distributed in a fair representation which guarantees the participation of the province’s components regardless of the results of the elections,” reads another amendment.