Acting governor of Sulaimani resigns over power dispute

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The acting governor of Sulaimani resigned on Tuesday due to political issues and disputes in the governorate.

Sardar Qadir, the acting Sulaimani governor in a statement announced that he has decided to quit his position and has sent his resignation letter to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Interior.

Qadir said that his resignation was due to the lack of authority and support during his short-term service in office, accusing the KRG of disregarding the people’s demands and needs.

In August 2016, Sulaimani Provincial Council appointed Sardar Qadir, former deputy governor, as the acting governor to carry out the work of the governorate, following legal disputes over the nomination of Haval Abubakr who won the highest votes in the 2014 provincial elections in the province.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Gorran Movement previously agreed upon electing Abubakr to be Sulaimani governor.

However, Gorran rejected his nomination since he needed the signature of the Kurdistan Region President while Gorran questioned the President’s legitimacy.

The resigned acting governor of Sulaimani was not fully authorized to use all the authorities legally given to a governor.

Following his statement, Sardar Qadir held a press conference, stating that the political issues and disputes in the governor have put obstacles before him to serve the people of the province, adding that “I found it necessary to resign.”

“I was neither authorized to change the government posts in Sulaimani governorate nor allowed to allocate the financial dues for the service projects,” he said, stating that staying at the position without any authority had become useless.

Editing by Ava Homa