ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq –  Kirkuk’s outgoing governor, Rebwar Taha, on Thursday said in his farewell address that the role of deputies in the Kirkuk Provincial Council will be strengthened in a "new era" of governance for the province and its diverse ethnic makeup.

On Thursday, Leader of the Iraqi Turkmen Front Mehmet Seman was elected Kirkuk’s new governor after Taha, of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), stepped down as part of a power-sharing deal made with Arab parties in 2024, promptly assuming a new role as the province's deputy governor.

Seman received 12 votes of the 14 members of the council present for a Thursday session that was postponed.

The session of the Kirkuk Provincial Council was delayed for several hours due to ongoing protests by Kurdish groups opposing the replacement of the Kurdish governor, with demonstrators gathering outside government institutions and officials’ offices.

The appointment of PUK's Taha meant the return of the position to Kurds for the first time since 2017. Taha was elected governor in an August 2024 meeting in Baghdad. 

In his departing address, Taha said late Thursday that stepping down from the post was the result of developments "outside of my control."

Regarding his new role within the provincial council, he stressed, "All the administrative and financial decisions [by the new governor] will be in coordination with both deputies.”

"This new era, which this friend [Seman] will now begin, is different from what we had. Decisions cannot only be made by the governor, both deputies must be involved in and agree on decisions."

“It is difficult for me to stay in the Kirkuk provincial council, step down as governor, and accept the deputy governor position. But I did it. I have accepted it. As God is my witness, all I want is for the people of Kirkuk not to be abandoned,” Taha said. 

“I am certain you are all disheartened by this. I am certain you do not like this situation. But I assure you: This too shall pass,” Taha said, referring to Kurdish dissatisfaction with the changes. 

In a subsequent press conference, the new governor, Seman, said, "I stand before you all not as a representative to any party but a servant to all the components," vowing to tackle electricity problems in the province.

The PUK reached a power-sharing agreement in 2024 with Mohammed al-Halbousi of the Taqadum Party for the Kirkuk Provincial Council, under which the PUK and Halbousi-aligned representatives agreed to two-year governorship terms, with the latter ceding one year to the Turkmen Front.

In return, the PUK is expected to receive a number of posts in the province, which has a diverse ethnic mix of Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen, including the position of Kirkuk Police chief.

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.