Kirkuk council to vote on removing six boycotting members

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kirkuk’s provincial council will vote next week on whether to remove six of its members who have not attended a meeting for a year because of a dispute over how the administration was formed.

“The Provincial Councils Law in Section 3 of Article 6 is clear and explicit that any member who is absent from four consecutive meetings will be removed by majority vote. This is not a threat, but rather fulfilling our oath to serve the people of Kirkuk, and we will take this step,” said Mohammed al-Hafidh, the council chair.

Hafidh filed a complaint in administrative court against the six and formally notified them that if they skip the next meeting, their removal will be put to a vote. That vote is scheduled for September 2.

Hafidh was appointed to his position during a controversial council meeting in Baghdad last summer. Rebwar Taha, a Kurdish politician from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), was also appointed as governor of Kirkuk during the same session. Some members of the council did not attend the meeting, saying it was held illegally.

“There is a political disagreement over the formation of the Kirkuk local administration, and this issue must be resolved with the participation of all sides. So far, we have not decided whether to participate in the upcoming meeting or not, and we have not held any meeting in this regard,” Ahmad Ramzi, one of the boycotting councillors, told Rudaw.

Nashat Shahwez, chair of the council's security committee, said if the absent members do not attend the next session, they may face legal punishment.

“Tuesday's meeting is the last opportunity. Certainly, if those brothers are not present, very harsh legal measures will be taken against them. We hope it doesn't reach that stage and they return to the council so we can work together,” Shahwez said.

Of the 16 members of the council, seven have boycotted sessions since last summer. One of them, Silwa al-Khafaji, ended her boycott in June.

The boycotting council members - from the Turkmen Front, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Sunni Arab Alliance - have contested the formation of the provincial administration and refuse to participate in council meetings, though they still perform their official duties and keep office hours.

The disputes and boycotts have paralyzed the council, which has missed many sessions, leaving thousands of job opportunities unfilled.

Hiwa Husamadin contributed to this report.