ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Mohammed Samaan Agha, leader of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF), was elected governor of Kirkuk on Thursday night after months of political negotiations over the formation of the local government. The decisive vote took place during a provincial council session that had been postponed multiple times.
In his first remarks as governor, Agha told Rudaw that governance in Kirkuk would be inclusive.
“No decision will be made in Kirkuk without consultation with deputies and assistants,” he said, adding, “We will not work for just one ethnicity or party.”
Addressing the public in Arabic, Kurdish, and Turkmen, Agha emphasized unity: “Mr. Rebwar Taha, Mr. Ibrahim Temim, and I - along with the entire administration of Kirkuk - are all Kirkukis. There is no difference between us. Together, we will serve Kirkuk.”
The election required navigating the deeply divided 16-seat Kirkuk Provincial Council, where an absolute majority of nine members is needed to convene and pass decisions. The council is composed of six Arab seats, five held by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), two by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and two representing the Turkmen component. The single Christian quota seat is aligned with the PUK.
Agha’s election follows the resignation of former governor Rebwar Taha of the PUK. Taha was appointed during a special council session held at Baghdad’s al-Rasheed Tulip Hotel in the heavily fortified Green Zone in early August 2024, marking the return of a Kurdish governor to Kirkuk for the first time since 2017.
Agha’s appointment marks the first time a Turkmen has held the post since 1924, making him the first Turkmen governor in over a century.
Thursday’s session was preceded by the resignation of Kirkuk Deputy Governor Yavuz Hamid earlier in the day. Speaking at a press conference, Hamid said his decision was aimed at securing greater representation for the Turkmen community in the province’s top office.
“I resign from my position in the hope that a governor from the Turkmen component will be appointed for Kirkuk,” Hamid said. He urged the Turkmen Front to preserve the positions already secured within the governorate and to prioritize reconstruction efforts, particularly in Turkmen-populated areas.
The process faced strong opposition from the KDP, which rejected the agreements that paved the way for Thursday’s vote. Party leader President Masoud Barzani issued a statement condemning what he described as “suspicious al-Rasheed Hotel deals,” arguing that they undermine the will of voters and the future of Kirkuk’s residents. He stressed that the province should serve as a model of coexistence and said the KDP has historically made sacrifices to protect the rights of all communities.
In a separate press conference, KDP Central Committee member Rebar Ahmed reaffirmed the party’s boycott.
“Any agreement outside the legitimacy and will of the Kirkuk voter is unacceptable to the KDP,” Ahmed said, rejecting what he called the “al-Rasheed Hotel administration.”
He confirmed the party would not participate in any meetings based on such arrangements and reiterated that a lasting solution for Kirkuk and other disputed territories must come through constitutional mechanisms, including the implementation of Article 140.