ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Nineveh’s Provincial Council has set Monday as the election date for the 16 individuals vying for the post of Mosul’s governor, despite repeated calls for the vote to be cancelled or postponed amid bribery allegations.
“May 13 has been set up as the date for electing the governor of Nineveh and his deputies,” read a letter signed by head of Nineveh Provincial Council Saido Chato to council members, dated Sunday.
The council's 39 members will vote on a new mayor.
Doubts over the Council’s ability to elect a new governor are rife. The Council, whose role includes overseeing governorate budget plans, itself faces accusations of corruption following an investigation launched by Iraq's Integrity Commission, with many calling for its dissolution. It was found that nearly $64 million from funds allocated for reconstruction projects had been embezzled.
Nineveh is one of the most diverse places in the Middle East. It is home to Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs, Christians, Turkmen, Kurds, Shabaks, Kakais, Yezidis, and other ethno-religious groups. Mosul, the provincial capital, lies in ruins 18 months after the declared defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS). Bomb and gun attacks remain frequent and around 500,000 of its citizens remain displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Since then, Nineveh has been run by a so-called 'crisis cell' formed by the Iraqi PM. The crisis cell includes the commander of Nineveh operations, the head of the province’s police, and the president of Nineveh University. It is chaired by Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi.
In the run up to the vote that was supposed to take place in an Iraqi parliament session on May 2, a video statement was released by a group of Nineveh MPs, which said "Our people in the province of Nineveh are awaiting the decision of the Iraqi parliament to dissolve, members of who directly or indirectly deliberately caused in wasting funds or stealing them on part of the local government."
But parliament allegedly removed the vote on the fate of the Council from its agenda, much to the MPs' dismay.
Speaking after the session, prominent Sunni politician Osamah al-Nujaifi vowed that the election of a "corrupt governor" would not be allowed.
"The people of Nineveh have settled on reform. The MPs of Nineveh from all sections have come to an agreement over a clear aim, which is to support the crisis cell and prevent the corrupt provincial council from managing the next phase," he said.
Allegations of bribery are continuing to plague the run up to tomorrow's vote. Mohammed Iqbal al-Saidaly, a Sunni MP in the Iraqi parliament and member of the parliamentary Strategic Planning Committee decried the voting, claiming that bribes are involved.
“Receiving bribes to vote for a particular candidate is treason to the blood of Nineveh’s martyrs and the sacrifices of its sons. Big politicians outside of the province push towards a certain direction to pass the agenda of destroying the Nineveh Province and shatters the hopes of its sons,” said al-Saidaly.
Speaking to al-Sharqiya news on Sunday night, Iqbal urgently called for the prime minister to intervene and halt the "farce" elections.
“The Prime Minister today is obligated to stop the measures until the topic of corruption and investigations are finalized," he added. “The Crisis Cell is there and can meet its role. We don’t have to head towards an election shrouded in clear corruption.”
Iqbal claimed there are voice recordings and transaction documents that prove corruption occurred, and vowed to "move them all towards the judiciary and oversight authorities,”
Even if in the face of such opposition the vote were to go ahead, parliament would be able to nullify the results. “Whatever decision is made, it will be null, and the parliament has the legal capacity to nullify anything illegal,” added Iqbal.
Former governor Nawfal Hamadi was sacked by the Iraqi parliament on March 24 on the grounds of negligence and corruption, upon the recommendation of the Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. His dismissal followed the March 21 ferry incident in Mosul that saw up to 150 people killed when a ferry capsized on the Tigris River. It was the worst tragedy to strike the war-battered city of Mosul since it was retaken from ISIS in 2017.
Hamadi, who is now thought to be in Erbil, failed to file an appeal against the decision within the designated two-week window. Nominations for his replacement were subsequently opened for a ten-day window that ended on April 25.
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