Political representatives of Iraq’s Turkmen community persist in protesting a notorious election in Kirkuk, where their population is concentrated.
The Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) said Tuesday that its members in Kirkuk province will continue to protest by not attending provincial council sessions, as they did during the previous governorate elections. The members, who protested the elections in Kirkuk Governorate held at the initiative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), would continue their stance by boycotting council sessions, the front’s political bureau said in a statement. The statement said the elections were illegal and that an appeal had been made to the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court for their annulment, adding they would not attend council sessions until a court decision was made. It also noted that the members would continue their regular duties to ensure services reach the people of Kirkuk. They would not abandon their initial stance against the council, which has prevented their participation.
Members of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, including five PUK members, three Arab members and one Christian member, have recently gathered at the Rashed Hotel in Baghdad to vote for the governor and the head of their council. Those who took part in the vote supported the PUK’s Rebwar Taha for the post of governor and Arab member Muhammad Hafiz for the council’s helm, while Turkmen, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) members and three Arab members of the Kirkuk Council did not attend the meeting and boycotted the vote. On the same day, the head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front announced their refusal to acknowledge the meeting in Baghdad to elect the Kirkuk governor and provincial council helm, vowing to seek a court order to annul it.
The PUK is known for its close ties to the PKK terrorist group, which killed thousands in Türkiye, which has ethnic ties with Iraq’s Turkmen. Tensions have been rising between Türkiye and the PUK, one of the dominant parties in the KRG since the PKK increased its attacks on Turkish troops.
Turkmen are a Turkic-speaking minority whose total population is estimated to be some 3 million.
