Allegations of bribery in Kirkuk governor election

Former Iraqi Foreign Minister and senior KDP official Hoshyar Zebari claimed that the results of Kirkuk elections were determined by bribery

According to the allegations, the people who would vote for the decision were given a villa in Sulaymaniyah, 3 million dollars each and luxury vehicles.

Unlawful election

The meeting to elect Kirkuk’s governor and Provincial Council’s president, organized by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has faced backlash for being “illegally conducted outside the city and without inviting all members.”

Additionally, allegations of bribery involving the participants have surfaced. On Aug. 10, five PUK members, three Arabs, and one Christian member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council convened at a hotel in Baghdad to vote for the governor and council president. During the vote, PUK’s Rebwar Taha was supported for governor, and Arab member Muhammad Hafez was backed for council president.

The PUK claimed that Taha was elected as governor. However, Turkmen members, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) members, and three Arab members boycotted the vote, refusing to participate in the meeting.

Hasan Turan, head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC), stated that the meeting was illegal and that they did not recognize its results. The ITC has filed an appeal with the High Federal Court in Baghdad to annul the meeting. The three Arab members who did not attend the meeting also made a public statement, declaring the session illegal and accusing the other three members of “betraying” the Arab community in Kirkuk.

The KDP, led by Masoud Barzani, also condemned the meeting in Baghdad as illegal, stressing that all factions in Kirkuk should be included in local governance. Former Iraqi Foreign Minister and senior KDP official Hoshyar Zebari highlighted the bribery allegations, stating, “What happened during the Kirkuk Provincial Council meeting was a disgraceful act driven by dirty dollars, at the expense of the people of Kirkuk. The participation of the three Sunni Arab members in the meeting was planned overnight, is illegal, and will not succeed. Kirkuk is a microcosm of Iraq, and it cannot be governed without the consensus, balance, and participation of its main components, especially the Turkmen.”

While the bribery allegations raised by Zebari drew attention, a Sunni Arab member of Kirkuk and a member of the Azim Coalition, who wished to remain anonymous, echoed similar claims on a local television channel. The Azim Coalition member claimed, “The Arab members who attended the meeting (3) received villas in Sulaymaniyah, $3 million each, and luxury cars as bribes from the PUK.”

Iran factor

Ahmed Mulla Talal, a presenter on Iraq’s UTV channel, argued that the meeting was orchestrated with Iran’s support, saying, “As an Iraqi, I cannot accept the disgraceful manipulation of Kirkuk by an official from the Iranian embassy in Baghdad.”