Turkmen protesters block Erbil-Kirkuk highway over mayoral appointment in Altun Kupri

KIRKUK — Protesters in the town of Altun Kupri blocked both directions of the Erbil-Kirkuk highway on Monday to oppose a decision by the Kirkuk Provincial Council to replace the town’s Kurdish mayor with another Kurd. The move has drawn criticism from Turkmen residents who are demanding a share of key administrative posts.

The protest followed a large demonstration outside the municipality building, where participants called for reversing the decision to remove Mayor Mohammed Najib and appoint Naz Abdulkhaliq, also Kurdish, in his place.

The Turkmen Front Party has pushed to claim the position for a Turkmen official. Most of the demonstrators — affiliated with the Turkmen Front — are now demanding the mayoralty or other prominent local offices such as subdistrict director or police chief.

“This is our right,” one demonstrator told 964media. “We should be given one of the key positions — the mayoral office, subdistrict administration, or police leadership.”

Saleem Mohammed, another protester, said, “The Turkmen community has suffered since the fall of the regime in 2003, with no major positions given to us in Altun Kupri. The Turkmen are an essential part of this town and we will never accept marginalization.”

He added: “We have taken to the streets to protest and we reject any action that does not take the Turkmen into account. We demand the positions of subdistrict director and police chief in exchange for the municipality post that was given to a Kurdish appointee.”

Kirkuk Provincial Council member Ahmad Ramzi, speaking at the protest, said, “The Turkmen are demanding a fair distribution of positions. I’ve reached out to the relevant authorities to help resolve this issue. We will work to make their voices heard, and the council will stand with everyone in support of justice.”

Currently, all three top administrative posts in Altun Kupri — mayor, subdistrict director and police chief — are held by Kurdish officials. A local source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the mayoral change was part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at maintaining Kurdish control over the post.

Altun Kupri lies within a disputed area between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government. The town is home to ethnically mixed communities of Turkmen, Kurds and Arabs.

The highway was reopened after being blocked for more than an hour. A 964media correspondent at the scene said traffic had resumed and protesters had dispersed, though charred tire marks remained on the road.

The unrest follows a prolonged political deadlock in Kirkuk after the December 2023 provincial elections. The provincial council, reconvening in August 2024 after more than seven months of impasse, appointed a new local administration. The 16-member council — representing Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen and Christian factions — agreed on a power-sharing arrangement. Rebwar Taha of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was elected governor, while Mohammed Hafiz from the Arab coalition became council president. The agreement includes provisions to rotate the governorship and council presidency between Kurdish and Arab blocs, with deputy roles allocated to Turkmen and Christian members.