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Iraqi Parliament Again Fails To Vote On Elections Law
The Iraqi parliament yesterday failed yet again to vote on amended elections law that would provide more seats to Iraqis living abroad, to minorities, and to small political parties.
Many MPs were at the building but did not enter the assembly, thereby preventing a quorum that would have facilitated the vote on the law.
The Shi'a groups are claiming that the veto by Vice President Tareq Al-Hashemi, a Sunni politician who vetoed the elections law, serves the interests of the enemies of Iraq. According to one Iraqi daily, Al-Hashemi's veto was tantamount to "a thunderbolt over the heads of the Shi'a political forces."
It is becoming increasingly evident that the passing of the amendment will run into the objections of various groups, each with its political agenda. The Shi'a are against amending the law because they maintain that most of the Iraqis abroad are Ba'thists [Sunni], that many of them have already returned to Iraq, and that in any case there is no way to ensure a transparent voting system in a country like Syria where the majority of Iraqis abroad currently reside. The Sunni, for exactly the opposite reason, would only vote for the amendment if the number of what is termed as compensatory seats (15% rather than 5% currently provided for) is granted to voters outside Iraq. The Kurds are opposed because they believe they were not allocated enough seats under a system that was governed by the number of rationing cards controlled by the ministry of commerce. The principal Kurdish spokesman in parliament, Dr. Mahmoud Othman, said that the Shi'a are trying to trick the Kurds by making promises that are "lies."
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, under pressure by the Kurdish population, appears to be siding with Al-Hashemi, and threatening to veto the law if it does not address the issue of compensatory seats. Clearly, the longer the discussions on the sidelines among the various political groups continue, the greater the number of issues that will arise and the greater the difficulty in reaching a consensus.
The Supreme Elections Committee has already hinted that the elections will have to be postponed because of time constraints.
Sources: Al-Sabah al-Jadid, Iraq, November 19; Al-Mada, Iraq, November 21, 22, 23, 2009; Al-Sabah, Iraq, November 21, 2009; al-fayhaa.tv, November 21, 2009; Al-Nahar, Lebanon, November 22, 2009; Al-Zaman and sotiliraq, November 23, 2009
Posted at: 2009-11-23
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