Key political players from Kirkuk meet in Baghdad on Saturday evening to address the ongoing stalemate in forming the local government.
The meeting will take place at the Rashid Hotel in the Green Zone at 8 p.m. and is expected to be pivotal in breaking the months-long deadlock that has plagued the region.
This meeting comes just a day before the deadline set by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, who urged the winning blocs to finalize power-sharing arrangements among Kirkuk’s various factions by Sunday.
Raad Saleh, a member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council from the Arab bloc, highlighted the unresolved issue of governorship, stating that no agreement or nomination has been reached. He emphasized that the Arab bloc views the governorship as an electoral right and expressed concern over the lack of a settlement among the winning blocs.
The situation is further complicated by the provincial council’s election law, which mandates that key posts be filled within a month of the council’s first meeting.
The council’s initial session was held on July 11 but remains open. Last week’s attempts by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Babylon bloc to form the local government were delayed at the request of the Prime Minister and other political leaders, who sought to give additional time for other factions to prepare and participate in the process.
