The Political Bureau of the Iraqi Turkmen Front ITF appointed a new leader at a meeting in Kirkuk following the resignation of former leader Hassan Turan.
The sudden change came after Turan announced his resignation as the leader of the ITF in a statement issued to the public on Sunday morning.
In his resignation statement, he wished success to his successor, stressing that he would continue to support the next president and expressed his commitment to the Turkmen cause and the struggle for Iraqi unity.
An hour after the announcement, the ITF Political Bureau approved his resignation and unanimously elected Mohammed Samaan, spokesman and member of the Political Bureau, as the leader of the ITF.
A statement issued by the Political Bureau said the move would strengthen the unity of the Turkmen ranks and "will be a new beginning in defending the strategic issues of the Turkmen people."
Hassan Turan was appointed leader of the Turkmen Front on March 28, 2021 after the resignation of Arshad Salihi, but was elected at the Turkmen Front congress on May 23.
Turkmen, the third largest ethnic group in Iraq after Arabs and Kurds, are spread across the country, residing almost exclusively in the northern towns and villages stretching from Tal Afar through Mosul, Erbil, the center of Kirkuk, and Altun Kopri district, Tuz Khurmatu of Salahaddin and Kifri and Khanaqin in Diyala. They are all Muslims, half Sunnis and half Shiites.
Though there are no official records about the Turkmen in Kirkuk, the Turkmen political parties say there are over 200,000 Turkmen voters in Kirkuk which has been divided into three constituencies for 12 seats in the October 10th, 2021 General Elections.
"I congratulate him from the bottom of my heart and wish him success in fulfilling this national duty that serves the Turkmen cause and ensures unity among our people," Turan said in a message.
He expressed confidence that the Turkmen political movement will make further progress in the next phase.
Mohammed Samaan, a longtime member of the ITF, is now seen as a younger and more active face, but it is unclear what he can do to unite the Turkmen people, who are now divided into two fronts.
Hassan Turan faced internal problems during his presidency, especially with former leader Arshad Salihi, who won only one seat in the last parliamentary elections. In the previous elections, the Turkmen had two seats in the Iraqi parliament.
In the provincial council elections held at the end of 2023, they won only two seats, but were not united and one of its members, supported by Arshad Salihi, broke the boycott of the Kirkuk provincial council meetings and joined power.
The northern, oil-rich, ethnically mixed province of Kirkuk is home to about 1,77 million Kurds, Turkmen, and Arabs. Located 238 kilometers north of Baghdad, it has long been at the center of disputes between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG.
