Iraqi Judiciary: Kirkuk government legal
Shafaq News/ Iraq’s Administrative Court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit challenging the legality of Kirkuk’s local government elections, affirming the legitimacy of a controversial 2024 session that elected the province’s governor and council chairman.
A judicial source told Shafaq News that “the Administrative Court has definitively rejected the lawsuit questioning the legality of the session at Baghdad’s Al-Rashid Hotel, where the Kirkuk Provincial Council and governor were elected.”
No official statement was published by the court.
The case, postponed five times since December 2023, revolved around an August 2024 meeting in Baghdad that saw Ribwar Taha elected governor and Mohammed Hafiz named council chair. The session, boycotted by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and some Arab lawmakers, was criticized as “unlawful” and deepened political divisions in the oil-rich and ethnically diverse province.
The controversy emerged after Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani initiated talks in July 2024 to resolve longstanding disputes in Kirkuk. However, critics argue the meeting lacked constitutional legitimacy, citing the absence of representatives from all ethnic groups.
December 2023 provincial council elections in Kirkuk yielded a fragmented political landscape. The Arab bloc secured six seats, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) won five, the KDP took two, the Turkmen bloc gained two, and one seat was reserved for Christians.
Taha’s election was made possible through an alliance between the PUK, the Arab Taqaddum party, and the Christian representative. The KDP and dissenting Arab lawmakers accused the PUK of attempting to dominate Kirkuk’s administration and undermining efforts for consensus.
Kirkuk, 300 kilometers north of Baghdad, is home to Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, and Christians, with vast oil reserves fueling political and sectarian tensions.
