Reuters) - Iraqi lawmakers passed a new election law on Monday

Reuters) - Iraqi lawmakers passed a new election law on Monday




after weeks of debate, paving the way for polls to be held next year and allaying fears that they would be delayed due to deteriorating security.


The parliamentary election is seen as a crucial test for Iraq, the world's number four oil exporter last year according to OPEC, which has suffered from political deadlock and violent instability since the departure of U.S. forces in December 2011.

Voting on the election bill had repeatedly been postponed in recent weeks because of a dispute between Arabs and ethnic Kurds, who run their own region in the north of the country.




FINANCIAL COMMENTARIES AND GUIDES

ADVERTISEMENT


POWERED BY




How to become a more competent trader - Special eGuide

Download Free here




International Transformation Begins with Capital Structure

Watch Free Video

Vice President Kudhair al-Khuzaie issued a decree on Monday setting April 30 as the date for the parliamentary election.

"The new law was produced by consensus, which makes it fair for all. We don't have any problem with this new law, and all provinces have enjoyed equal rights," parliamentary speaker Usama al-Nujaifi told a news conference.

U.S. President Barack Obama urged Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during a visit to Washington last week to secure approval of the law and hold free and fair elections next year "so people can resolve differences through politics instead of violence".

The law could still in theory be challenged in the Iraqi federal court on constitutional grounds.



(Reporting and writing by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Iraq's parliament voted unanimously on election law



RS Editor: HA, RS 2013/11/04 Range Press / Baghdad

A parliamentary source said on Monday, that the Iraqi Council of Representatives voted unanimously on the Law of the next parliamentary elections in 2014.

The source said in an interview to the (Presse term), "The members of the House of Representatives voted, on Thursday evening, unanimously approved the Law of the next parliamentary elections."

The source, who asked not to be named, said "The vote came after an agreement to additional paragraphs blocs on the law."

The House of Representatives decided on Monday (4 November 2013), raising its allocated to the vote on the election law, which started more than two hours, for a quarter of an hour after the objection of the Kurdistan Alliance additional paragraph concerning the elections in the provinces of Salahuddin, Kirkuk and Nineveh.

The House of Representatives decided, on Monday, the start of a vote on the controversial paragraphs in the election law, which delayed due to differences between the political blocs on them, especially the "quota and compensatory seats."

The Council of Representatives of Iraq, on Monday, its the 33 of the legislative term of the first legislative year fourth headed by Speaker Osama Najafi and the presence of 215 deputies, as witness the meeting to vote on the law of parliamentary elections, the first and second readings of a legal election Kirkuk and Unified Retirement.

The Liberal block of the Sadrist movement announced on Monday, an agreement the leaders of the political blocs to pass a law that parliamentary elections during the parliamentary session to be held today, as he emphasized that the vote on the paragraphs of the law will be two options two, pointed to agree that the number of seats in parliament, 328 of including quota seats.

The National Alliance MP Jawad Albzona revealed on Monday, that the vote on the election law "will be resolved today," after agreeing to a proposed UN, up three seats, and indicated that he would be the number of compensatory seats "ten seats and seats Home 328 seats," pointing out that the dispute revolves around "one of the seats in the province of Baghdad."

The mass of citizens, led by the President of the Islamic Supreme Council Ammar al-Hakim revealed, on Sunday, for "providing four proposals" to the election law by the political blocs and the United Nations, and indicated that the United Nations has proposed "to increase the number of compensatory seats to become the number of seats in parliament, 328 seats," In affirming that the National Alliance "refuses to increase", pointed out that the blocs "Schor political references to give an official position on the proposals of the four."

The presidency of the Iraqi Council of Representatives decided, on Sunday, to suspend the meeting of 32 of the first legislative term for the fourth legislative year to the day tomorrow, Monday, to the lack of agreement of the political blocs on the rest of the terms of the election law, while session saw the second reading of the draft law Unified Retirement

As announced a coalition of Kurdish blocs, on Sunday, for resolving the dispute over the compensatory seats that belong to the region three seats, "and stressed that the talks between the political blocs currently circulating about four seats for the rest of the provinces, while pointing out that the National Alliance calls for three seats and wants to give one seat for the connector , pointed out that the Iraqi List, rejected that proposal.

And resumed the Iraqi Council of Representatives, on Sunday, its the 32 of the first legislative term of the legislative year the fourth held yesterday under the chairmanship of Speaker Osama Najafi, while the source confirmed in the Information Service of the parliament was postponed voting on the election law until the agreement of the political blocs on the final version.

And decided the presidency of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, on Sunday, to postpone the hearing of the 33 of the first legislative term for the fourth legislative year for two hours, because of continuing differences between the blocks on the remaining items of the parliamentary election law.

The Kurdistan Alliance ruled out, on Sunday, passing the electoral law by majority during a session of the House of Representatives to be held today, as he emphasized that he has been re-distribution of seats in the provinces in proportion to population size without that "inflicted injustice province at the expense of the other", he stressed the need to "achieve political consensus on the law. "

The Presidency of the Council of Representatives of Iraq lifted, on Saturday (the second of November 2013), the meeting of the 32 of the first legislative term of the Legislative fourth to Sunday, after the failure of the Council to vote on the rest of the paragraphs of the law of parliamentary elections because of differences between the political blocs on the compensatory seats and quota , and the vote on the draft law on Iraq's accession to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, reported a bill of economic reform the federal to the government, and to postpone the first reading of the proposed law on elections of the province of Kirkuk, ending the second reading of the bill Unified Retirement.

He called the Kurdistan Alliance, on Sunday, (November 3, 2013), the adoption of data from the Ministry of Planning as a basis in calculating the parliamentary seats, and as he emphasized he respects the religious authority and its position on the number of seats, pointed out that the Kurdistan region will be the biggest hit as it passed the current electoral law, and in the While State of Law coalition stressed on the need to apply the reference in the opinion to keep the seats in parliament intact and not to increase it, pointed out that he "approached to persuade the Kurdistan Alliance and the Iraqi List this matter."

The Iraqi List, demanded, yesterday the first Saturday, (second from November 2013), the adoption of Statistics and Ministry of Planning in the calculation of the seats in Parliament, stressing that its authority is the only constitution, while confirming that it has a number of constants of them, that its authority only adopted by the Constitution which set every 100 thousand people represented by the deputy, pointed out that Iraq is committed to the authority of the Constitution, which emphasizes on this principle.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]