The president of Diyala provincial council called his removal "illegal and unofficial" in response to accusations of "dictatorship and negligence" in carrying out his duties.
The provincial council voted Tuesday October 29 afternoon at 2:10 pm on its official Facebook page to remove Omar Krui from the post of speaker of the provincial council and open the door for nomination for the post without giving any further explanation or details.
The meeting was attended by nine out of 15 members of the council, chaired by Saleem al-Tamimi, deputy chairman of the provincial council.
In a press conference attended by KirkukNow reporter, Tamimi accused Omar Krui of "negligence and dictatorship in decision-making, not complying with the outcome of the meetings and ignoring many issues that serve citizens. He did not respond to the people’s protests and demonstrations.”
The demonstrations, Tamimi said, began on October 24 and covered several areas of Diyala, against the provincial council's decision to distribute the posts of the mayors for districts and sub-districts of the province on the basis of "party affiliation and nepotism.”
Late on October 23, the council decided on the posts of more than 10 mayors and sub-district directors in a meeting away from the cameras and observers of civil society organizations.
Krui, the expelled speaker of the council, held a press conference two hours after the decision, attended by KirkukNow reporter, stressed that the meeting was "illegal and not official", as organized in certain hours with the presence of nine members presented simultaneously.
According to the Law of Unorganized Provinces in a Region No. 21 of 2008 – amended, the council has the power to remove the council speaker and his deputy by an absolute majority at the request of one third of the members once proven corrupt or involved in wasting public funds, or negligence in the performance of his duties and responsibilities.
Diyala Province is home to 1.6 million people, 90,000 of whom live in the center of the Khanaqin dominantly Kurdish district, according to estimates by the Central Bureau of Statistics for 2019.
Diyala province consists of six districts and 15 sub-districts, including various disputed areas under Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, such as Khanaqin district.
But Krui pointed out that what happened; "It was a targeting of the merits of a community," he said, linking the case to the resignation of Siyada Party leader Khamis Khanjar the previous day after the accountability and justice procedures against him.
In a post on his Facebook account, the dismissed president of Diyala Provincial Council said he would pay the price of saying "no" to passing some names for the post of head of administrative units without audit procedures, and will take legal action to defend my rights.”
The no-confidence motion against the speaker of the council came at 11:30 pm on the same official Facebook page of the council with a short title, the 14th session of the council was postponed due to incomplete quorum. The session was not scheduled for questioning or discussing the post of speaker of the council.
The first session of the council after the elections was held on February 5, due to disputes between different factions, remained open until August 1, at the Rashid Hotel in Baghdad, the election process for the posts of speaker and deputy speaker, governor and two deputies It led to a boycott and the protesters returned to the council in September, but the election of the heads of administrative units and the latest to remove the head of the council revived the disagreements.
The 15 members of the Diyala Council were first divided into two teams: The Team of Eight and the Team of Seven. The two teams include a mixture of Shiite and Sunni parties seeking to secure the largest number of senior positions in the local government in their favor.
Diyala Provincial Council consists of 15 seats, four of which are allocated to women. Diyala province is home to 1.6 million people, 90,000 of whom live in the center of the Khanaqin dominantly Kurdish district, according to estimates by the Central Bureau of Statistics for 2019.
The election of the council president, governor, and their deputies took place on August 04 at the Rashid Hotel in Baghdad.
Later, a new coalition was formed by nine out of 15 members, excluding the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK, which did not participate. The other parties were the same ones that held an emergency meeting in mid August at the Rashid Hotel in Baghdad, resulting in the election of the council speaker, governor, and deputies after months of controversy.
*This story has been produced as part of the 'Budget is Your Right' initiative, with support from the National Democratic Institute (NDI).
