Last 2 Iraqi Provinces Name Governors 8 Months After Elections

Taha of the PUK was recently elected governor of Kirkuk but that may be overturned

Iraq held provincial elections in December 2023 but it wasn’t until August that the last two local governments were named and one might still be up in the air.

 

At the start of August Diyala finally elected a government. Adnan al-Tamimi of Nuri al-Maliki’s State of Law was named governor. The main cause of the delay was a dispute within the Coordination Framework which is the largest bloc in parliament. Previously Badr held the governorship but now Maliki wanted it. That led to months of disputes and reports of threats to politicians as the two sides vied for power. State of Law eventually won. The Framework now controls 8 provincial administrations with the State of Law having the governor’s position in Baghdad, Karbala and Diyala.

 

On August 10 Kirkuk also voted for its top positions which was surrounded in controversy. Rebwar Taha of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) was elected governor but the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP and the Turkmen party boycotted the session. The KDP and the Turkmen claimed this was illegal and are threatening lawsuits which will likely be successful. The PUK had controlled the province in previous years but now the KDP is the dominant party in Kurdistan and wants to control all the major Kurdish positions in the country leading to this dispute. That means it could still be months until the final governor is named in Iraq.

 

SOURCES

 

Al Aalem, “Between armed chaos and Sunni boycott .. Has Diyala reached the brink of collapse?” 4/18/24

- “The conflict is renewed .. Diyala seeks refuge in Baghdad after threatening a number of its council members,” 4/16/24

- “The Kirkuk government … the Union is waving victory … and the Democratic Party considers it a scheme,” 8/12/24

 

Azzaman, “Diyala overcomes the blockage and chooses its local government after months of disagreements,” 8/2/24

 

Bas News, “Diyala Provincial Council Formed After Eight-Month Deadlock,” 8/2/24

- “KDP Denounces Kirkuk Government Formation as Unlawful,” 8/12/24

- “A Kurd Elected as Kirkuk Governor Amid Council Split,” 8/12/24