Iraqi Presidential Council Approves Election Law
By VOA News
03 October 2008
Iraq's presidency council has approved a long-delayed and controversial provincial election law.
The three-member panel, which includes President Jalal Talabani, passed the law Friday, allowing elections to take place in most areas early next year.
Parliament approved the bill last month after dropping a provision for a power-sharing agreement in the oil-rich region of Kirkuk. The presidency vetoed an earlier version of the law after Kurdish lawmakers objected to the way seats on Kirkuk's provincial council would have been divided among the area's ethnic groups. That matter will now be considered separately, and elections in Kirkuk will be held after the rest of the country votes.
The new law has prompted criticism from Christians and other minority groups because it also drops a clause guaranteeing seats for minorities.
The top United Nations official in Iraq Staffan di Mistura voiced disappointment that the quota article was dropped, saying it would have protected minority rights.
Provincial elections were originally scheduled to take place October 1. The United States has been pushing for elections, which it considers a step toward national reconciliation.
In a separate development, the U.S. military in Iraq says it has captured 18 suspects during operations targeting al-Qaida in Iraq.
A military statement issued Friday says coalition forces in Bayji, south of Mosul, captured three suspects, including one man believed to be a local commander, or "emir", for a terrorist organization associated with al-Qaida.
The rest of the suspects were detained in three operations in other parts of Iraq.
The U.S. military also says coalition forces in Baghdad captured five people suspected of being involved in smuggling Iranian-supplied lethal aid, such as weapons, into Iraq.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
