Iraq
Mohammed Ibrahim al-Hafidh, the newly-appointed Kirkuk provincial council chief, speaking to Rudaw on August 18, 2024. Photo: Rudaw/screengrab
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The newly-appointed Kirkuk provincial council chief on Sunday told Rudaw that the presence of an opposition within the council is necessary for its performance, stressing that they are keen on working with all members of the provincial council, including those who did not participate in last week’s disputed council meeting.
“In every council, there must be an opposition and another side… An opposition is necessary to evaluate the performance of the remaining council members,” Mohammed Ibrahim al-Hafidh told Rudaw’s Hardi Mohammed following a press conference - his first as provincial council chief.
Hafidh was appointed head of the council during a meeting of the body in Baghdad last week. Rebwar Taha, a Kurdish politician from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), was also appointed as governor of Kirkuk during the same session.
Hafidh is not a unanimous pick. Council members from the Turkmen Front, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Arab Alliance did not attend the disputed session and declared that the meeting was illegal.
The council chief noted that a session will be held in the coming days after reaching an agreement with all the parties
"Today we are witnessing a historic day in Kirkuk province,” said Hafidh in the press conference.
"We will work with our partners to support and develop the industrial sector and support the services file in order to draw a true picture of Kirkuk depicting it in the most beautiful image,” he added.
The Arab Alliance and the Turkmen Front announced they will challenge in court the decisions that came out of the disputed council meeting, and have denied reports suggesting they would be joining the alliance of the council members that attended the session.
The Sunni Sovereignty Alliance announced last week that Hafidh was removed from their ranks following his participation in the disputed meeting.
The formation of Kirkuk’s local government took more than seven months, hindered by the absence of a clear majority after the December polls and disputes between the parties.
Because of Kirkuk’s status as a multi-ethnic, disputed province with a history of demographic change, the provincial council election law dictates that “power shall be distributed in a fair representation which guarantees the participation of the province’s components regardless of the results of the elections.”
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