Kurdistan government rejects dismissal of Kirkuk governor

The presidency of the Kurdish region in Iraq yesterday rejected the Iraqi Parliament’s decision to dismiss the Governor of Kirkuk, Najmiddin Karim, from office.

The spokesman for the Kurdistan Region Presidency (KRP) Omid Sabah said in a statement: “The presidency of the region strongly condemns and rejects the parliament’s decision to remove the governor. This step is another failure of the partnership, a violation of the Constitution, and a violation of the principles of consensus, and return to the principle of majority and minority.”

According to the statement, the people of the Kurdish region, in general, and the people in Kirkuk, in particular, will not abide by Parliament’s decision.

“The Parliament did not give confidence to the Governor of Kirkuk, Najmaldin Karim. He was elected by the provincial council and the citizens of Kirkuk,” Sabah added.

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Earlier in the day, the Iraqi Parliament voted with a majority to dismiss Karim from his post.

The office of Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim Al-Jabouri said in a statement that it had received a request from the office of Prime Minister, Haider Al-Abadi, for a vote on a decision to remove Karim.

Members of the Iraqi Parliament representing Kirkuk’s Arab and Turkmen citizens accused Karim of committing “administrative and constitutional irregularities” in the province.

On 28 March, the Kirkuk Provincial Council voted by majority to raise the Kurdish region flag next to the Iraqi flag in the city.