PUK signals boycott of Kirkuk council session amid signs of intra-party divisions

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on Thursday indicated it could skip a key Kirkuk provincial council session that was reportedly set to include the resignation and replacement of its affiliated Governor, Rebwar Taha. The decision, reflective of intra-PUK divisions, comes a day after its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), also said it would boycott the session.

Abdullah Mirways, a PUK member of the Kirkuk council, on Thursday told Rudaw, “Whether the session is held today [Thursday] or not, we will not be present and if we do not attend, a legal quorum will not be achieved.”

Kirkuk’s provincial council comprises 16 seats, including five for the PUK, two for the KDP, six for Arab parties, and two for Turkmen representatives. A Christian seat is generally aligned with Kurdish factions. A quorum requires nine members.

Mirways’ remarks come as the Kirkuk provincial council was set to hold an emergency session on Thursday, Rudaw 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.

Offering a view that appeared at odds with Mirways, senior PUK member Saadi Ahmed Pira told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman on Thursday that “an agreement has been reached to rotate the position of the governor of Kirkuk,” adding that “it was agreed that Rebwar Taha would hold the post for a two-year term.”

Meanwhile, Governor Taha’s office denied that he had submitted a formal resignation, noting that he is “still officially the governor of Kirkuk and continues his legal and administrative duties,” while affirming his commitment to decisions made by the PUK leadership.

Amid the uncertainty, Mirways told Rudaw the PUK is set to hold a meeting with party leader Bafel Talabani in the Kurdistan Region’s eastern Sulaimani province on Thursday, with a final decision contingent on the outcome of those talks.

Meanwhile, Rudaw reporter in Kirkuk, Hardi Mohammed, citing well-placed sources in the province on Wednesday, said Taha’s resignation is expected to pave the way for a vote on Mohammed Samaan Agha, head of the ITF, as the new governor, marking the first time a Turkmen would hold the post since 1924.

The anticipated changes comes as information obtained by Rudaw indicates that the PUK has struck an agreement with Arab and Turkmen parties, under which it 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.

In light of the intra-PUK divide over the matter, prominent ITF member, Sawsan Jadwa, told Rudaw that “the exchange of the governorship post was done according to an agreement. We don’t know why the PUK is now boycotting the session.”

For his part, Ahmed Hamdani of the Arab bloc confirmed his group’s participation, saying, “All six members of the Arab bloc will participate in the Kirkuk provincial council meeting.”

Amid the political maneuvering, the KDP on Wednesday announced it would boycott the Kirkuk provincial council meeting on Thursday, citing its rejection of “a process in which legitimate representatives are marginalized and decisions are imposed against the will of the people.”

The Kurdistan Region’s largest political party further affirmed that it “will not compromise on national rights,” adding 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 KDP underlined.