Iraq
From left: PUK spokesperson Saadi Ahmed Pira and Turkmen MP Arshad al-Salihi. Photo: Rudaw/screengrab
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The alliance between representatives of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Turkmen Front in Kirkuk’s provincial council will not lead to any results and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) will obstruct their attempt to form the local administration, the party’s spokesperson told Rudaw on Thursday.
“With 4 seats, we and the KDP have a united stance… We have agreed to rotate the positions trilaterally: The governorship is held by the Kurds for the first year, Turkmens the second year, and Arabs the third year,” Arshad al-Salihi, a Turkmen member of the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih.
Salihi denied the reports that either of the Turkmen council members had sided with the PUK, stressing that they are firmly united and calling on the Arab members to have a unified stance as well.
The winning parties of the Kirkuk provincial council elections have been at loggerheads for around seven months as the absence of a clear majority at December’s polls has hindered the process of appointing the next governor and forming the local administration.
The PUK claims that it is entitled to the governorship of the oil-rich city, having gained the most seats - five - in December’s local polls. The party also has the backing of two Arab council members and the winner of the Christian quota.
However, its bid for the highly-coveted position is contested by the alliance of the KDP, four Arab council members, and both Turkmen council members, who have suggested rotating the post between all three components.
Saadi Ahmed Pira, PUK spokesperson, said that the alliance between the KDP and the Turkmen party “is like putting Kirkuk on sale.”
“This is a bad move in my opinion, because we have many other joint projects with the KDP… this [alliance] will not succeed… this is a bad and fruitless attempt and the PUK will not allow something like that to succeed,” said the spokesperson.
Salihi said that the Turkmens do not wish to outcast any of the winning parties or components from the local administration, and expressed hope that the KDP and the PUK also reach an agreement on who should be the Kurdish governor in the rotation system.
Pira claimed that the KDP’s goal in aligning with the Turkmens is solely to prevent the PUK from holding the governorship, noting that such a policy would have negative consequences for the Kurdistan Region.
“If the KDP wants to hold the governorship for one year, they can have it. But what do they gain from making the Kurds lose out on the position for three years?” he added.
The council held its long-awaited first session last week, following calls from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani to expedite the process. The session lasted for around 10 minutes, with seemingly no progress made on resolving the outstanding issues between the parties.
Sudani has facilitated three meetings between representatives of the political parties since December.
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