ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Region’s ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) said Wednesday it will boycott Thursday’s Kirkuk Provincial Council meeting on the transfer of the Kurdish governor’s position, saying the role of legitimate representatives in the process was “marginalized.”

The developments come as The New Region learned that an official agreement has been reached, under which the Kirkuk governorship will go to the Turkmen Front.

In return, the positions of Kirkuk Police chief, the deputy governorship, two district commissioners, and the planning chief in exchange will be given to Kurdish representatives. 

KDP believes that “deciding the fate of Kirkuk in dark rooms without returning to the true will of the city's representatives and your loyal votes will harm coexistence and national achievements,” the party said in a statement, adding that it also boycotted a Wednesday meeting in Baghdad's Rashid Hotel on the matter.

“We are not ready to be part of a process in which legitimate representatives are marginalized and decisions are imposed outside the will of the people,” the KDP added.

Earlier on Wednesday, based on information received by The New Region, Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha is set to resign during an extraordinary session of the Kirkuk Provincial Council scheduled for Thursday. Taha was suggested to be replaced by Mohammad Samaan, head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front.

Although the Kirkuk governor’s office denied the allegations, saying Taha “has not submitted any official letter of resignation to the Provincial Council to date,” it said in a statement.

Taha expressed “commitment to implementing any decision issued by the leadership of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) regarding a change in this position,” the statement added.

“Taha is still officially performing his duties as governor of Kirkuk and is continuing to carry out his assigned legal and administrative responsibilities,” it added.

On Thursday morning, the PUK’s Kirkuk Provincial Council component is set to meet party leader Bafel Talabani regarding the matter, The New Region learned. 

A separate meeting was also scheduled for Wednesday night between the provincial office and several senior PUK members. 

Taha was elected the governor of Kirkuk in a meeting on August 10, 2024, that was attended by five Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) members, three Arabs, and a Christian quota representative. The decision came months after the country held provincial council elections in 2023. 

The appointment of PUK's Taha meant the return of the position to Kurds for the first time since 2017.

In the November elections, Taha was heading the PUK list in Kirkuk and received 96,000 votes, more votes than any candidate in Iraq, including Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, whose alliance came in first place in the country.

Kirkuk falls under Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, which mandates a process to outline a clear and definitive boundary in the disputed areas by introducing a referendum to determine the will of the residents living on the lands. The implementation of the article has been continuously delayed by the successive Iraqi federal governments.

On October 16, 2017, the Kurds lost control over Kirkuk and other disputed territories after a military offensive by the Iraqi government was conducted in the province, bringing it under the rule of Baghdad. The Kurdish authorities have continuously pledged the eventual return of the lost territory.