Iraqi Parliament Approves Elections Law Despite Kurdish Protests
By VOA News
22 July 2008
The Iraqi parliament passed a provincial elections law Tuesday despite a walkout by Kurdish lawmakers over the details regarding the disputed oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Khalid al-Attiya said it is unlikely a provincial election will be held this year considering the Kurdish lawmakers' protests.
Kurds make up one of Iraq's three main groups in parliament.
Kurdish members of parliament have called for a referendum to determine who controls Kirkuk.
Other lawmakers have suggested a power-sharing agreement between the city's Arab, Turkmen and Kurdish residents - a plan that would hand more power to regions and lessen the oversight of the federal government in Baghdad.
Separately in Kirkuk, police say gunmen shot and killed a Kurdish journalist late Monday in front of his home.
Police say no one has claimed responsibility for the death of Soran Kaka Hema.
The 23-year-old journalist worked for the Kurdish-language Levin magazine.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says some 130 reporters and 50 media support workers have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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