Iraqi Parliament Passes Provincial Elections Law
By VOA News
24 September 2008
Iraq's parliament has passed a provincial elections law, after weeks of deadlock.
Lawmakers Wednesday decided to approve the law without coming to a final resolution on Kirkuk. Sunni, Shi'ite, Kurdish and Turkmen officials dispute control of the city and its vast oil reserves. Parliament said the dispute will be resolved separately, and elections there will be held after the rest of the country votes.
Lawmakers pushed back the deadline for elections in other areas until the end of January next year. They had originally been scheduled for next week.
The United States has been pushing for local elections as a sign of democratic progress and national reconciliation. Washington wants the Iraqi government to take advantage of a four-year low in the level of violence.
Despite security gains in much of Iraq, Diyala province remains a focal point for insurgents. Gunmen there today ambushed a group of policemen and local anti-insurgent fighters. Twenty people, including 12 policemen, were reported killed.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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