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Six months after suspicious death of Zana Hama Salih,
Sulaimaniyah still without new mayor |
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Six months after suspicious death of Zana
Hama Salih, Sulaimaniyah still without new mayor
3.9.2012 |
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Zana Hama Salih, deputy governor for the
Sulaimaniyah, reportedly commits suicide in his jail
cell after being detained on suspicion of taking
bribes.
On April 14, 2012 in the afternoon, Zana H. Salih
was reported dead by the Kurdish security (Asayish).
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September 3, 2012
SLÊMANI,
Kurdistan region 'Iraq',— Nearly six months
after the death of Slemani’s mayor, the seat remains
vacant, though an acting mayor has been temporarily
appointed.
Mayor Zana Hama Salih
died earlier this year in a security
prison in Slemani [Sulaimaniyah] under suspicious
circumstances. He was being held for alleged
involvement in a nearly half-billion dollar
corruption case and died while in prison.
Authorities said he hanged himself, but family
members strongly suspect he was murdered.
Slemani has been beset by political turmoil in
recent years after a strong opposition movement
emerged there during the 2009 parliamentary
elections.
Kawa Abdullah, the chairman of Slemani Provincial
Council (SPC), says a new mayor has to be appointed
based on merit, but he is doubtful that will happen.
When the province’s governor was removed two years
ago, again based on corruption allegations, a new
governor was appointed without referring the matter
to the SPC which has to legally approve any such
appointment.
“Government cabinets do not take our role into
consideration,” Abdullah complained, adding that it
is the SPC that has the right to oversee the process
of appointing a new mayor.
He said political parties appoint officials by
circumventing proper legal procedures and venues.
A source told Rudaw that the appointment of the new
mayor requires the approval of the ruling party in
Slemani -- the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
The PUK is led by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and
his wife Hero Ibrahim Ahmed is seen as having the
final word on the appointment of the new mayor. She
heads PUK’s local office in Slemani.
Jalal Karim, deputy minister of the interior, told
Rudaw that his ministry is waiting for Slemani’s
governor to nominate a candidate for the post. Karim
said he was not aware of why no one had been
nominated yet when six months have passed since the
former mayor’s death.
He added that the new mayor has to “have good
expertise in public administration and be
experienced.”
“We would like to see a district director become the
mayor of Slemani,” said Karim. District directors
are in charge of smaller administrative units in
Kurdistan and often get promoted to the position of
mayor.
For a month after Salih’s death, Hoshyar Mustafa,
the director of the neighboring Arbat district,
served as Slemani’s mayor. He was replaced by Awat
Mohammed Ghafour,www.ekurd.net
another local official.
Azad Jundiyani, the spokesman for PUK’s political
bureau, said his party does not intervene in
government affairs, adding the appointment of the
mayor is the “government’s job … and the government
has to decide on it.”
For his part, Imad Ahmed, the deputy prime minister
of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), said
that the Interior Ministry will decide on the
matter.
“It’s not a big problem,” said Ahmed.
He added the delay in appointing a mayor for Slemani
has been caused by a government plan to swap mayors
between different provinces.
By Nawzad Mahmoud - Rudaw
Copyright ©, respective
author or news agency,
rudaw.net
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