With the absence of consensus and the political stalemate looming over Kirkuk, due to no political faction or group being able to name a new governor for about six months, the formation of the local government in the province has become a “knot” that refuses to be untied.
After indications pointed towards rotating the governor’s position among Kirkuk’s factions and disagreements over who would assume the role first, the head of the Turkmen Front in Kirkuk, Qahtan al-Wundawi, confirmed on Thursday that all parties are awaiting a solution from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to end the crisis.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani sponsored two meetings of the political forces that won the Kirkuk Provincial Council elections and announced a “principle agreement” to proceed with forming the local government in the province, but no result has been reached so far.
Arabs and Kurds insist on securing the governorship, while the Turkmen (the smallest faction) demand a rotational governance formula, shared among all parties.
Al-Wundawi said in a statement followed by “Al-Alem Al-Jadid,” that “the Turkmen and other political components of the province are waiting for al-Sudani’s opinion to end the crisis of forming the local government.”
He added that “there have been meetings among political blocs in Kirkuk, but they have not led to anything, because these blocs do not want to bypass al-Sudani, who holds the hope of reaching a solution to the crisis.”
He revealed a “semi-agreement among the blocs on the need to find solutions among themselves if all doors to exit the crisis are closed,” excluding the possibility of re-holding local elections in Kirkuk, saying, “The path to solutions is closer than re-holding the elections.”
The Independent High Electoral Commission announced on December 28, 2023, the final results of the Kirkuk Provincial Council elections, where the Kirkuk Our Strength and Our Will Alliance received 157,649 votes and obtained five seats, the Arab Alliance in Kirkuk received 102,558 votes with three seats, the United Iraqi Turkmen Front received 75,169 votes with two seats, the Leadership Alliance received 61,612 votes with two seats, the Kurdistan Democratic Party received 52,278 votes with two seats, and the Arabism Alliance received 47,919 votes with one seat. The total number of provincial council seats is 16, with 11 for men, four for women, and one for the quota of components.
Acting Governor of Kirkuk Rakan Saeed al-Jubouri called on January 30, the winners of the Provincial Council membership to hold the first council meeting on February 1 to elect the Provincial Council President and his deputies, and to elect the governor and his deputies. However, disputes prevented the election of the governor, as Kurdish blocs demand the position, and Arabs also want to continue managing the province, while Turkmen aspire to win the position.
According to the Provincial Councils Election Law, the first session must be held within 15 days from the date of ratification of the final election results, and it comes one day after the council members take the legal oath before a judge. The first session of the Provincial Council is chaired by the oldest member of the council, which is Berwin Fatah from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan bloc.
In the first session of the Provincial Council, the president and his deputy must be elected by a majority vote (50+1), meaning the winner must obtain nine votes from the Kirkuk Provincial Council members. However, there is no legal provision specifying how long the council can leave its session open if the positions are not resolved in the first session.
It is worth noting that Kirkuk conducted its first elections in 2005, and on January 18, 2023, it witnessed the Provincial Council elections, where the Kurds won seven seats, joined by the Babylon Bloc, which won the quota seat, bringing the total to eight seats. In contrast, the Arabs won six seats, and the Turkmen obtained two seats.
