PM Al-Sudani chairs meeting with the winning political forces of Kirkuk Provincial Council elections

Shafaq News / On Sunday evening, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani chaired a meeting with the winning political forces in the Kirkuk Provincial Council elections.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s media office, the meeting reached an agreement “to continue dialogues among the winning political forces to discuss the working papers presented during the meeting.”

“The goal is to consolidate these into a single working document within two weeks, and to establish a cooperative framework capable of resolving issues among the different political forces, thereby accelerating the process to appoint a new governor and elect the head of the Provincial Council.”

PM Al-Sudani emphasized the “necessity of ongoing dialogues among all political forces and the importance of their sustainability to maintain social peace in Kirkuk, recognizing its unique social fabric,” as per the statement.

The initial meeting for Kirkuk's political forces had agreed on “a set of principles, including a consensus on forming a coalition to govern Kirkuk comprising all winning forces, serving as a political framework.”

“It was agreed that Prime Minister Al-Sudani would preside over the coalition sessions until the constitutional obligations are fulfilled in forming the local government.”

Noteworthy, Kirkuk held its first elections since 2005 on December 18, 2023. The Kurds won seven seats, divided into five seats for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), two for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and one for the quota (Babylon), making a total of eight seats.

In contrast, the Arabs won six seats, distributed as follows: three seats for the Arab Alliance, two for the Leadership Alliance, and one for Al-Ourouba Alliance, while the United Iraqi Turkmen Front won two seats.

The electoral scene in Kirkuk reflects equality in the number of seats between Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen (8-8), which has led to the inability of any party to form the local government.

Al-Sudani sponsored a meeting for the winning political forces in the Kirkuk Provincial Council elections, announcing a "principled agreement" to form the local government in the governorate.

The participants announced the formation of the "Kirkuk Administration Coalition" comprising all the winning forces in the Provincial Council, chaired by the Prime Minister until the constitutional procedures are implemented to form the local government.

They also agreed on the program and internal system of the coalition.