Rebwar Taha was elected as the governor of Kirkuk, with Mohammed Hafez appointed as the head of the provincial council in a decision that has stirred significant controversy.
Saadi Ahmad Pira, spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), addressed the election during a press conference at the PUK’s political bureau in Erbil, emphasizing that the leadership in Kirkuk should not be perceived as solely under the control of the PUK.
Pira criticized the past seven years of governance in Kirkuk, describing it as a period dominated by a policy of Arabization. He stressed the need to move forward, stating, “It’s time to put an end to the past, and the previous conflict is over. The current language is the language of understanding.”
Pira acknowledged the challenges in reaching a consensus but noted that “we were able to gather an appropriate majority in the last hour.”
He also cautioned that if internal disputes are not resolved, external forces might intervene: “If we don’t solve our problems ourselves, they will solve them for us.”
The election of Taha as governor has been met with a range of reactions.
Former governor Rakan Juburi condemned the meeting as illegal and criticized the participation of three Arab members as “dishonest.” Similarly, Hassan Turan, leader of the Turkmen Front, expressed his discontent, labeling the events as “a breach of trust.”
However, opinions within the Kirkuk provincial council vary. Parwin Fatih, a council member, argued that the distribution of posts within the local government was based on eligibility and the number of seats held by each community.
She noted that Kurdish, Arab, and Christian representatives participated in the meeting, while the positions allocated to the Turkmen community remain vacant and will be filled once they are present.
This election has highlighted the ongoing tensions in Kirkuk, with various groups divided over the legitimacy and implications of the newly elected leadership.
