Seven members of the council – from the Arab coalition, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Turkmen Front – are boycotting sessions in protest of the formation of a local government.
On August 10th, 2024, nine members (PUK, Babylon coalition, and three Arab members) formed the government in Baghdad without the participation of the boycotters.
The Turkmen Front and Arab coalition filed a lawsuit with the Iraqi Federal Court, claiming the Baghdad meeting was illegal. The Federal Court dismissed the case due to lack of jurisdiction, leading to a subsequent appeal in the administrative court. The head of the Turkmen Front, Hassan Turan, stated they won't participate until the administrative court rules. This ruling is expected on November 24th, 2024.
Ismail Hadi, the political leader of the Sunni Arab coalition in Kirkuk, told Voice of America that they are waiting for the court decision, hoping for a later agreement between the parties.
The newly formed local government distributed positions: the governorship to Rebwar Taha (PUK), the council presidency to Mohammed Ibrahim Hafez, and the deputy governorship to Ibrahim Tamimi (Sunni Arab coalition). Other deputy positions went to Turkmen representatives.
Fateh highlighted that the boycotters missed seven out of eight council sessions and that warnings had been issued about replacement. She expressed hope for their return to avoid further escalation.
The council seats are distributed as follows: PUK (5), Sunni Arab coalition (6), Turkmen Front (2), KDP (2), and Babylon coalition (1).