Peregraf — Iraqi President Nizar Amedi officially handed over the republican decree appointing Mohammed Samaan Agha as the new governor of Kirkuk on Monday.
In a statement, the Iraqi Presidency said Amedi expressed hope that the new governor would succeed in his duties and stressed the importance of strengthening efforts to serve the people of Kirkuk and reinforcing security and social stability in the province.
Amedi called for stronger cooperation between local and federal authorities to improve services, living conditions, and sustainable development.
He said the appointment had followed constitutional procedures and reflected political understandings aimed at preserving stability and maintaining balance among Kirkuk's diverse ethnic and political components.
He added that Kirkuk's administration should serve as a model of coexistence and partnership, serving all citizens without discrimination.
For his part, Mohammed Samaan Agha said he would work with sincerity and responsibility to serve Kirkuk and all its residents equally, with a focus on stability and public services.
Political Context
On April 16, Mohammed Samaan Agha, head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF), was elected governor during a Kirkuk Provincial Council session, with 12 of the 14 attending members voting in his favor. The session was boycotted by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
His appointment marks a significant political shift, as a Turkmen politician holds the governorship for the first time in the post-2003 era, reshaping the balance of power in the disputed province.
The move followed the council's acceptance of the resignation of former governor Rebwar Taha, a senior member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), under a political agreement that had been negotiated in August 2024. The deal involved the PUK, the Babylon Movement, and Arab factions, and was described as part of a broader rotational arrangement for Kirkuk's governance.
The agreement is also linked to a wider political bargain in which Turkmen and Arab factions provided legislative support for the election of Nizar Amedi as Iraq's president on April 11, in exchange for the PUK relinquishing the governorship. The KDP, which boycotted both the Kirkuk council session and the presidential vote, has rejected both outcomes.