Kirkuk Governor pledges unity amid Kurdish protests over leadership change

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Kirkuk's newly installed governor vowed Thursday to govern for all of the province's communities, as dozens of Kurdish residents rallied outside the governorate building to protest his appointment.

Muhammad Saman, confirmed by the Kirkuk Provincial Council earlier today following the acceptance of outgoing governor Rebwar Taha's resignation, told council members he represents "all of Kirkuk's components, Turkmen, Arabs, and Kurds," and pledged to rotate senior posts among the province's communities. His immediate priorities, he said, are resolving the fuel crisis, extending electricity supply hours, and improving public services across the province.

"Kirkuk needs solidarity and joint work, away from political disputes," Saman said, calling his administration's mandate "a new page in the province's history."

The pledge did little to quell tensions on the street. Largely Kurdish protesters gathered at the governorate building, demanding Taha's reinstatement and warning that a leadership change risked destabilizing one of Iraq's most ethnically complex provinces. Demonstrators carried banners and chanted in support of the outgoing governor, according to our correspondent.