ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc on Tuesday announced it was ending its two-year boycott of Kirkuk Provincial Council sessions, saying the decision came in response to the demands of supporters and out of political responsibility.

The KDP bloc has absented sessions of the Kirkuk Provincial Council since the formation of the current local administration in August 2024, after it was left out of a controversial meeting to elect the province’s next governor.

Kirkuk Provincial Council Chair Ibrahim al-Hafidh received the KDP bloc in his office last week, and formally asked them to rejoin the sessions and resume their oversight role to “accelerate the implementation of plans and programs that meet the aspirations of the esteemed people of Kirkuk.”

During a press conference on Tuesday, the KDP’s two council members, Hasan Majid and Shokhan Hasib, announced that the KDP leadership has made the decision to return to Kirkuk Provincial Council meetings.

“Iraq is undergoing a pivotal and crucial transformation, in which the mechanisms of public oversight and the strategic fight against corruption, spearheaded by the esteemed Prime Minister, Mr. Ali al-Zaidi, are moving towards a more decisive and effective path,” the bloc said in a statement read during the presser.

Majid said that the KDP is not returning to oppose or ally itself with any other component of the council, but rather to support any and all efforts aimed at serving the people of Kirkuk and combating corruption.

“We are ready and committed to fulfilling our rigorous and precise oversight role, with the aim of safeguarding rights, preventing corruption, and serving the city of Kirkuk in all its diversity and all its spectrums without discrimination,” the statement added.