Arab representatives in the Kirkuk Provincial Council have agreed to consolidate their efforts by establishing a unified political bloc led by Rakan al-Jibouri, ending nearly two years of internal disputes and accusations of “treason” among rival factions.
According to meeting records dated May 7, obtained by KirkukNow and signed by all six Arab council members, the new coalition — named the “Arab Bloc” — was created to “safeguard the rights and political interests of the Arab community in Kirkuk.”
Ru'a Hussein al-Jibouri, a member of the newly formed bloc, confirmed to KirkukNow that all representatives reached a consensus and unanimously selected Rakan Saeed al-Jabouri to lead the alliance within the provincial council.
The Arab representatives had previously been split into two rival groups during the formation of Kirkuk’s local government in August 2023. Three members affiliated with the Leadership and Arabism blocs joined the administration, while the remaining three, aligned with the Arab Alliance under Rakan al-Jabouri, boycotted the process and labeled it an act of “treason.”
A statement released after the latest meeting explained that the purpose of the unified Arab Bloc is to coordinate political, administrative, and legislative positions while ensuring fair representation of Arabs across administrative and security institutions in Kirkuk.
Under the agreement reached at Baghdad’s Al-Rashid Hotel in August 2024, the Kirkuk governorship would remain with the Kurds until December 31, 2025, then be transferred to the Turkmen as of December 2026, and later to the Arabs.
The 16-seat Kirkuk Provincial Council is distributed among several groups: Arabs hold six seats across three blocs, Kurdish parties control seven seats (five held by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK and two by the Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP), the Iraqi Turkmen Front ITF holds two seats, and the remaining seat belongs to the Babylon Movement representing the Christian community.
Kirkuk, May 2026: Regular session of the Provincial Council. Media of Kirkuk Provincial Council
Rakan Saeed al-Jabouri, former governor of Kirkuk and leader of the Arab Alliance bloc, was unanimously elected as head of the new coalition.
After nearly 800 days away from active participation, al-Jabouri returned to council activities during the April 16 session, where he voted on proposals related to rotating the governorship and other senior positions.
Al-Jabouri previously served as acting governor of Kirkuk from 2017 until 2024. Although his faction sought to reclaim the governorship, those efforts did not succeed. Political disputes surrounding Kirkuk’s administration eventually reached both federal and administrative courts, which rejected challenges against the formation of the local government in late 2024 and early 2025.
The political deadlock — marked by repeated boycotts of council sessions — continued for months before some opposition members gradually resumed participation. Nevertheless, criticism of the Kirkuk administration persisted until leadership changes and position rotations were implemented last month.
The northern, oil-rich, multi-ethnic Kirkuk Province, home to more than 2.34 million people, remains one of Iraq’s disputed territories between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government. Its future status is tied to Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, which outlines a process involving normalization, census-taking, and public referendums.
