New Kirkuk Governor, Council Chief, elected

KIRKUK / IraqiNews.com: Kirkuk’s Provincial Council has elected Najmiddin Karim, a member of the Kurdistan Alliance, for the post of its new Governor. Hassan Touran, a member of the Turkoman Front, was also elected as the Council’s Chairman. “Kirkuk’s Council met early today (Tuesday) and elected Member of the Kurdistan Alliance, Dr. Najmiddin Karim, for the post of its Governor and Member of the Turkoman Front, Hassan Touran, as Chairman of the Province’s Council,” IraqiNews.com news agency reported. IraqiNews.com’s correspondent in Kirkuk said that Kirkuk’s “Arab List did not attend the Council’s meeting, attended by the Fraternity and the Turkoman lists.” The Arab List had said in a previous statement its non-acceptance of the post of Kirkuk Provincial Council’s Chairman, as well as the post of the Deputy Governor, thing that made it boycott the Province’s Council meeting. Kirkuk Province’s Council had accepted the resignation of its former Governor, Abdul-Rahman Mustapha and its Council’s Chairman, Rozgar Ali, with the majority of votes, according to the Council’s Deputy Chairman, Rebwar Talabani. Kirkuk is 280 km to the north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.   SKH (TI)/SR 739