On Sunday, the Assyrian Democratic Movement in Kirkuk expressed its astonishment over new orders stripping the Christian community of the Deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs position within the new local government structure.

Recently, Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha appointed five deputies: three from the Arab component, one from the Kurds, and one from the Turkmen, without granting any positions to Christians.

The Kirkuk Provincial Council consists of 16 seats--seven held by Kurds (five by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and two by the Kurdistan Democratic Party), six by Arabs (with 3 seats for the Arab Alliance in Kirkuk, 2 seats for the Leadership, and one seat for the Arabism Alliance), 2 by Turkmen, and one 1 for Christians.

The movement stated, "We call on Kirkuk local government, led by Mr. Taha, to reconsider this unjust decision, to grant justice to our people, and to address the oppression imposed on them."

"Given the sensitive situation in Kirkuk, marginalization and exclusion of any component will cast a shadow on the principle of peaceful coexistence and representation of all components in the political process," the movement warned.

It continued, "We, in the Assyrian Democratic Movement, see this as a deliberate marginalization, which threatens equality and social peace in the governorate."

Notably, several ancient Christian communities, who now number an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 people from the 1.5 million, lived in Iraq before the US invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Chaldeans constitute the largest portion, comprising up to 80% of Iraq's Christians. Syriacs make up approximately 10%, while Assyrians represent around 5%. About 3% of Iraqi Christians are of Armenian descent, and Arab Christians constitute about 2% of the Christian population in the country.