KIRKUK, Iraq – After months of discussions, Kirkuk’s Turkmen have settled on two possible candidates for the post of provincial governor and plan to submit the names to the Iraqi parliament in order to get their person into the post, bypassing the Kurdish-dominated provincial council.
Seven Turkmen parties in the disputed province have agreed to nominate Riyadh Sari Kahya, head of the Turkmenli Party, and Faydhulah Sari Kahya, head of the Turkmen Tribal Council.
The Turkmen have nine seats in the Kirkuk Provincial Council and say they have the support of six Arabs in the 44-member body.
“For a year and a half, the Turkmen have been saying let a Turkman be Kirkuk governor for once to make the Turkmen psychologically feel better. The Arabs have told us they don’t object and support us getting this position and this makes us feel happy,” nominee Riyadh Sari Kahya told Rudaw.
An Arab has served as acting governor since October 2017 when the Kurdish governor was removed by parliament. Arab members of the council say they have signed an agreement backing the Turkmen proposition, but they want to see the governor have the support of the whole council.
“For us, the Arab component, we would like for the next governor of Kirkuk to be a governor for the Kirkukis themselves. We have no redlines, as long as everyone agrees on the individual through an agreement in the council,” Hattem Taayi, spokesperson for the Arab Alliance in Kirkuk, told Rudaw.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the largest party in the council with 15 seats, says the position will be filled through talks among Kurdish parties.
“This issue for us, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, is dependent on discussions between… president [of the KDP] Masoud Barzani and Mr. Kosrat [Rasul, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, PUK],” KDP’s Mohammed Khurshid told Rudaw.
Kurds collectively hold 26 seats in the council. That number is enough to reach quorum and elect a governor. Recognizing they will not succeed in getting the governorship through the council, the Turkmen have opted to try getting an order from the parliament, arguing that Iraq has 19 provinces – all of them currently controlled by Kurds and Arabs – so one needs to go to the Turkmen.
Iraq’s population is an estimated 75 – 80 percent Arab, 15 – 20 percent Kurdish, and five percent other minorities, including Turkmen, according to decades-old figures. The government is preparing to conduct a census in 2020.
Kirkuk is part of the disputed areas claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil. It was under Kurdish control until October 2017 when federal forces retook it after the Kurdistan independence referendum. Governor Najmaldin Kareem was sacked by the parliament for backing the vote and replaced by interim Governor Rakan al-Jabouri, a Sunni Arab. Jabouri is accused of reviving Baathist policies of Arabization.
The KDP has refused to return to Kirkuk, describing it as “occupied” by Iraqi armed forces and accusing elements within the PUK of “treason” for handing the city over to Baghdad. Rivalry between KDP and PUK prevented the two from adopting a unified stance on Kirkuk. They broke their impasse in March, however, signing a deal in which they agreed on a range of issues, one of which was to postpone making a decision on the Kirkuk governorship.
KDP head Masoud Barzani has indicated he could accept a PUK governor, providing it is someone who played no role in losing the city.
Reporting by Hiwa Hussamedin