Ribwar Taha: Kirkuk is experiencing an administrative vacuum, and the Turkmen are seeking to run for the governorship again.
Ribwar Taha: Kirkuk is experiencing an administrative vacuum, and the Turkmen are seeking to run for the governorship again.
2026-10-18
Shafaq News – Kirkuk
Kirkuk’s acting governor, Ribwar Taha, confirmed on Sunday that the province is experiencing an administrative vacuum after the election of its former governor, Mohammed Samaan, to the position of Minister of State, revealing that the Iraqi Turkmen Front is seeking to retain this position by presenting a new candidate to succeed the former.
Taha told reporters in Kirkuk: “We are dealing with the situation in Kirkuk according to the law. Currently, the province is experiencing an administrative vacuum, and the daily affairs of citizens in the province must be carried out. This vacuum cannot continue.”
Taha confirmed that he is currently acting governor of Kirkuk until “the political blocs, parties and the provincial council agree on a new candidate for the governorship,” noting that “so far no candidate’s name has been officially submitted for the governorship, but it is clear that the Turkmen Front wants to retain this position by submitting a new candidate and we respect their wishes.”
Regarding the political agreement to rotate the position of Kirkuk governor each year with a governor from the province’s constituent groups until four years have passed and the next local elections are held in Iraq, Taha commented, saying: “This agreement came as a necessity for the current stage, and in the future, the province or any other province cannot be managed in this way, and the province should be managed according to the true partnership.”
This statement comes in conjunction with what a political source in Kirkuk province revealed on Saturday evening, about the most prominent names nominated to assume the position of Kirkuk governor, succeeding Mohammed Samaan, who was voted on by parliament as a minister.
The source told Shafaq News Agency that “Mardin Kok Qiya and Qahtan Al-Wandawi, the head of the Turkmen Front branch in Kirkuk, are the most prominent candidates to assume the position of governor for the remainder of the term, within the Turkmen component’s share in the administration of the governorate.”
He added that “Mohammed Saman Agha will officially submit his resignation to the Kirkuk Provincial Council, in preparation for voting on the selection of a new governor,” indicating that “the first deputy governor of Kirkuk, Ribwar Taha, will assume the duties of the governor for a limited period, until the issue of selecting the new governor is resolved and voted on by the provincial council.”
It is noted that the governor of Kirkuk, Muhammad Saman, currently holds the position of Minister of State, after the parliament voted and he took the constitutional oath.
shafaq.com
