The Governor of Nineveh, Abdul Qadir Al-Dakhil signed an administrative order to dismiss 14 district and sub-district mayors from their positions, but it is not yet clear whether the candidates who were elected last year by the provincial council for these positions will assume their duties or not.
The decision was issued on Monday, February 10, 2025, seven months after the election of 20 district and sub-district mayors in the province, whose assumption of office was postponed due to complaints filed by some blocs in the administrative court.
Eidan Sheikh Kalo, a member of the Yazidi component quota in the Ninewa provincial council, told (KirkukNow), "In the session of July 2, 2024, the council elected 20 people as heads of administrative units, but this sparked protests from a number of blocs that referred the case to the courts."
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the United Nineveh blocs (which together hold 13 seats out of 29) were among the parties that did not participate in the session.
"The two blocs filed complaints with the Administrative Court and considered the session illegal, but their request was rejected, which means that the session was legal," Kalo said.
In this context, the Nineveh governor, who had previously considered the session illegal, issued an administrative order to dismiss four district and 10 sub-district mayors from their positions, without mentioning that the people elected by the council should assume their duties instead.
Despite the Administrative Court's decision, the KDP bloc insists on its position on the July 2 session and believes that it is not a condition for the people elected by the council to assume their duties in those positions.
The head of the KDP bloc in the Nineveh Provincial Council, Ahmed Kiki, told (KirkukNow) that "the dismissal decision is normal, because the term of these district and sub-district mayors has expired, but it is not a condition to appoint these people to these positions, perhaps a new vote will be held on the nominated candidates."
"Because the governor of Nineveh himself filed a complaint against the session in the administrative court, we will insist on taking administrative and legal measures against the session," he added.
Nineveh, October 17, 2024: An ordinary session of Ninewa Provincial Council. Media of Ninewa Provincial Council
Saydo Al-Ahmadi, who was elected in the July 2 session to the position of Shingal (Sinjar) district maynor, told (KirkukNow), "Our affairs are legal, starting with the voting procedures and legal conditions, we did not commit crimes, I have 10 years of service and I am an independent person and I received 16 votes in the provincial council."
Nineveh Provincial Council was divided into two factions. The first is the Future Nineveh Alliance, which successfully elected the heads of the administrative units holding 16 out of 29 total seats. This faction comprises the Coordination Framework forces, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK bloc, Sunni members, and three minority quota members.
Sixteen members out of 29 in the Nineveh Provincial Council participated in the July 2 session, while the other 13 members left the session due to the failure to reach an agreement on the distribution of positions.
The position of Shingal mayor was among the controversial positions; the position is currently being administered by acting mayor.
In addition to the heads of the 14 administrative units who were dismissed from their positions, six positions in Nineveh are being administered by proxy.
Although the council also decided on those positions in its session, the governor has not yet issued the administrative order for them to assume their duties, including the mayor of Shingal.
"We hope that this controversy will end and we will assume our duties," Al-Ahmadi said. "It is likely that these problems will be resolved soon."
For his part, Kalo said, "When the court rejects the complaints, this means that the session was legal and all decisions must be implemented as they are, whether those related to assuming duties instead of the heads of the units who were dismissed, or the six positions that are being administered by proxy."
Nineveh Province is considered to be a rich agricultural area, according to the Central Statistics Agency, 40 percent of the population live in rural areas and the top in wheat production as in previous years.
Ahmed Jaafar, the director of the Zummar district who was dismissed from his position and replaced by another person in the July 2 session, said, "Yes, I know that the governor decided to dismiss me from my position, but I do not know whether the decision will be implemented or not. I have not received anything. Whenever we receive the decision, I will resign from the position."
"The governor himself announced that the session was illegal. The procedures were not completed, so it is not clear what will happen, because if these 14 people do not assume their duties instead of us, chaos will occur."
