The Turkmen Front announced plans to file a complaint with the Iraqi judiciary after being excluded from a pivotal meeting held to form Kirkuk’s local administration. The meeting, which took place in Baghdad’s al-Rasheed Hotel on Saturday evening, was attended by nine out of the 16 members of the Kirkuk provincial council, just hours before the deadline to form the administration expired.

Hassan Turan, head of the Turkmen Front, criticized the meeting as a "sabotage of trust" among Kirkuk's ethnic communities. "Those who believe that the Kirkuk problem can be solved by distributing positions are delusional," Turan stated in a press conference. "The Kirkuk problem is based on strengthening trust between the components."

During the meeting, Rebwar Taha of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) was nominated for the governorship of Kirkuk, and Mohammed Ibrahim al-Hafidh of the Qiyada Alliance, an Arab party, was nominated for the position of council chief. However, the Turkmen Front argues that the meeting violated Iraqi provincial elections law, which mandates the presence of the council chief based on seniority and equitable distribution of positions among all of Kirkuk’s ethnic components.

Former acting Governor of Kirkuk, Rakan al-Jabouri, who served as the council’s chief during the first meeting due to his seniority, stated that the session did not meet legal requirements since no formal request was made to hold the meeting. The provincial council election law requires power to be distributed fairly to ensure the participation of all of Kirkuk’s ethnic groups, regardless of election results.

The Turkmen Front proposed a rotational governorship among the three main ethnic communities in Kirkuk. They contend that holding the meeting outside Kirkuk and excluding Turkmen members violates prior agreements to negotiate before holding a second session.

"The absence of the Turkmen component in yesterday's session is considered a blatant deficiency in applying the law, rendering the session invalid," Turan declared. "The Turkmen are an essential element of the province, and no one can bypass this component."

While the meeting included five PUK council members, three Arab members, and the Christian minority quota winner, it lacked representation from Turkmen council members, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Arab Alliance. Notably, some Shiite Turkmen politicians linked to the Badr Organization reportedly attended.

Kirkuk remains the only Iraqi province yet to finalize its local government due to ongoing disputes and the lack of a clear majority following the December elections. Nominations for governor must receive approval from the Iraqi president, adding another layer to the political impasse.

The Turkmen Front’s decision to seek judicial intervention underscores the complex political landscape in Kirkuk, emphasizing the need for legal adherence and genuine representation in resolving the province’s longstanding issues.