ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Kurdistan Region’s ruling parties in a joint statement on Sunday called for the appointment of Kurdish governor for Kirkuk, seeking to return the position to the Kurdish component after over six years.

A Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) delegation arrived in Sulaimani on Sunday to meet with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leadership.

“Both sides have agreed at this stage that for the sake of the people of Kirkuk, all components included, for a Kurdish governor to be elected,” read a joint statement from both parties.

Iraq held provincial elections in December, the first of its kind since 2003

The PUK managed to gain five seats in the ethno-diverse province of Kirkuk. The KDP gained two seats, raising the total Kurdish seats to seven out of the provincial council’s 16 seats.

Arab parties gained six seats in the elections and the Turkmen gained two, and with implications that both sides could join forces together, the chances of Kurds electing a governor become lower.

The Kurds lost control over the position following the events of October 16, 2017, where the Iraqi government entered Kirkuk using military force.

Sunni Arabs in the province appointed interim governor Rakan al-Juboori to replace the late Najmadin Karim, who was appointed by the PUK.

Both the KDP and PUK refused to enter the elections in a unified coalition. Previously, both parties have disagreed on several positions, the latest of them being the Iraqi Presidency position following the 2021 parliamentary elections.

The parties faced a similar struggle following the 2018 elections, when the PUK wanted to push former President Barham Salih over now Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein for the Iraqi presidency.

Both parties have for years struggled with tensions over governance, budget, and several other issues, however a united front in Kirkuk is what Kurds in the province have asked for several times.