Turkmen front leader Agha elected Kirkuk governor in Iraq

KIRKUK,— Mohammed Samaan Agha, leader of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF), was elected governor of Kirkuk on Thursday night after months of political negotiations to form the local government.

The vote took place during a provincial council session that had been postponed several times before a decision was reached.

In his first remarks as governor, Agha told Rudaw TV that governance in Kirkuk would be inclusive.

He said that decisions in Kirkuk would not be taken without consulting deputies and aides, adding that the administration would not serve a single ethnic group or political party.

Speaking to media in Arabic, Kurdish, and Turkmen, Agha underscored unity among officials in Kirkuk.

He said that he, Rebwar Taha, Ibrahim Temim, and the entire Kirkuk administration are all Kirkukis, adding that there is no difference between them and that they would jointly serve the province.

The election required managing the divided sixteen seat Kirkuk Provincial Council where nine votes are needed for decisions.

The council includes six Arab seats, five from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK, two from the Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP, and two Turkmen seats, plus one Christian quota seat aligned with PUK.

Agha was elected after Rebwar Taha of the PUK stepped down as governor.

Taha was appointed in August 2024 during a special session at Baghdad’s al Rasheed Tulip Hotel in the Green Zone, marking the return of a Kurdish governor since 2017. Agha becomes the first Turkmen governor since 1924.

Earlier on Thursday, deputy governor Yavuz Hamid resigned saying he sought greater Turkmen representation.

He said I resign from my position in hope that a Turkmen governor will be appointed. He urged the Turkmen Front to preserve positions in government and focus on reconstruction in Turkmen areas.

The process faced opposition from the Kurdistan Democratic Party led by Massoud Barzani who rejected the agreements behind the vote calling them suspicious al Rasheed Hotel deals.

He said the province should reflect coexistence and that the KDP has defended community rights.

KDP official Rebar Ahmed said the party would boycott the process. Any agreement outside legitimacy and voter will is unacceptable he said.

He added the party would not attend meetings based on such arrangements and called for constitutional solutions including Article 140.

The developments follow months of negotiations over formation of the provincial government in Kirkuk where political groups remained divided over administrative roles and power sharing arrangements.

The council session had been postponed multiple times before the vote was completed reflecting continuing disagreements among members of the provincial council.

(With files from Rudaw)