SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – A provincial council meeting on Wednesday seems to have saved the day for Sulaimani governor Bahroz Hamasalih, after political parties bickering to have him removed agreed to hold off until after a new government has been formed.

Hoshyar Sidiq told Rudaw that all groups in the council had agreed to let Hamasalih stay in his post for the time being.

“We all agreed to pass this stage peacefully at the provincial council and hope that the new government will solve the issue of the governor’s post through dialogue with all political groups,” said Sidiq.

The post of the governor has stirred heated debate among political groups since the September 21 elections for the autonomous Kurdistan Region’s own parliament, in which the Kurdistan Democratic Party retained its majority but the number-two Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) lost its place to the rival and opposition Change Movement (Gorran).

The Kurdistan Region has not held provincial elections since 2005 and many political groups, particularly Gorran and its opposition allies, believe that several administrative posts are not legal.

Gorran’s call for the removal of Hamsalih, who is a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), escalated to the point where Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani had to step in and declare that only elections can decide the removal of the governor.

Barzani this week called on the incumbent Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani of the KDP to begin talks with other parties on forming the new government.

Gorran argues that Hamasalih has to be removed because he is not legally instated in his post.

“We insist that the governor should be removed because he is there illegally and he is only acting governor,” says Dana Abdulkarim, head of Gorran representatives in the provincial council.

But after Wednesday’s meeting, even Gorran appeared to agree that the tensions caused over the issue must be eased before they get out of control.

“All of us, including Gorran, have agreed to prevent any moves that may unsettle the security and stability of Sulaimani,” said Sidiq.

It was reported last week that senior PUK leaders had agreed with Gorran leader Nawshirwan Mustafa to give the governor’s post to a Gorran candidate.

However, an official source told Rudaw that Qadir Haji Ali, the Gorran candidate, had not agreed to take the post, despite Mustafa’s approval.


RUDAW