Iraqi parliament passes key election law

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By Qassim Abdul-Zahra ASSOCIATED PRESS

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's parliament Sunday night passed a long-delayed law necessary to hold nationwide elections, in a process that has been intensely watched over fears the holdup could delay the January contests and possibly delay the planned U.S. troop withdrawal.

The passage of the law repeatedly was delayed by sharp disagreements over how voting would take place in the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, claimed by both Arabs and Kurds and a major flash point in the country.

The lawmakers approved the bill after a tense daylong session during which U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill could be seen shuttling between various political factions, in a sign of how closely the United States was involved in the political debate.

"We congratulate members of the Council of Representatives for coming to agreement on the various difficult issues of considerable importance to Iraqis. With the passage of this law, the Iraqi people, through their representatives, have shown their desire to uphold democratic and consultative government," said Mr. Hill and Gen. Ray Odierno, the highest-ranking U.S. military official in Iraq, in a statement after the vote.

President Obama, speaking at the White House, welcomed the new legislation.

"This is an important milestone as the Iraqi people continue to take responsibility for their future. I want to congratulate Iraq's leaders for reaching this agreement," Mr. Obama said. "The United States will continue to stand with Iraq as a strong partner and as a friend."

The law passed with 141 votes, but it was not immediately known how many of the parliament's 275 members voted against the legislation or even attended the session. Low turnouts are common in Iraq's parliament, which often do not have enough people to form the necessary 138-person quorum.

It was not immediately clear whether the elections would go forward as planned on Jan. 16. The head of Iraq's independent High Electoral Commission, Faraj al-Haidari, said after the vote that once the legislation is approved by the president and his two vice presidents, the election commission will decide how many days are needed to hold the vote.

Then the commission will send a letter to parliament and to the prime minister to inform them of their decision, but Mr. al-Haidari indicated the commission likely would choose a date after Jan. 16.

"The date will be after Jan. 16, and I think it will be within one week after Jan. 16," he told the Associated Press. The Iraqi constitution mandates that the vote take place in January, but not necessarily the exact day.

The key hurdle to the law's passage was how to apportion votes in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, a city claimed by both Arabs and Kurds.

Kurds consider Kirkuk a Kurdish city and want it part of their self-ruled region. During the rule of former dictator Saddam Hussein, tens of thousands of Kurds were displaced under a forced plan by Saddam to make Kirkuk predominantly Arab. The Arab-led central government vehemently opposes anything that would remove Kirkuk from its control.

Although few details were immediately available on how the Kirkuk issue was decided, both Kurds and Arabs appeared to claim victory after the sometimes raucous parliament session ended.