Tulsa World: Baghdad: Iraq paves way for elections

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Baghdad: Iraq paves way for elections
Parliament passes a law on voting in oil-rich Kirkuk.

Abbas Hasan al-Bayati (left) speaks as fellow Iraqi Shiite Turkmen lawmaker Fawzi Akram watches during a press conference Sunday after an Iraqi Parliament session about election laws. Hadi Mizban / Associated Press

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press
Published: 11/9/2009 2:23 AM
Last Modified: 11/9/2009 5:33 AM

BAGHDAD — Iraq's parliament ended weeks of debate Sunday and passed a long-delayed law paving the way for the planned January election to go forward, sidestepping a crisis that could have delayed the U.S. troop withdrawal.

The decision appeared to resolve a key sticking point — who will be allowed to vote in the disputed, oil-rich city of Kirkuk. The issue had threatened to delay Iraq's key parliamentary elections, which in turn would affect how quickly American combat forces could leave the country.

Under the legislation passed Sunday, the vote in Kirkuk would be held just like in other regions around the country, but the votes could be subject to a special review if it is determined that there was a more than five percent increase in the voter rolls from 2004 to 2009. Arabs and the Turkomens claim Kurds have packed the city with immigrants to tip the balance in their favor.

Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, in a statement posted on his Web site, hailed the election law's passage as a "historic victory of the will of the people," and described it as a strong response to the people who are trying to undermine the country's security.

U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill, who shuttled between various political factions before the law's passage, told reporters after the vote that the American troop drawdown will proceed as scheduled.

Military commanders have said the U.S. troop withdrawal would start in earnest about 60 days after the vote, the idea being that the country

would be on stable footing by then.

Under the president's plan, all U.S. combat troops will be out of the country by the end of August 2010, leaving about 50,000 trainers and support troops, who in turn would leave by the end of 2011.

It was not clear exactly when the election would be held — Jan. 16 as originally planned or a later date in January. The head of the Independent High Electoral Commission, Faraj al-Haidari, told The Associated Press that he expected the vote to be held within a week of Jan. 16.

Deputy Parliament Speaker, Khalid al-Attiyah said it would likely be held January 21 or 23. The Iraqi constitution mandates that the vote takes place in January, but does not specify which day. By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press

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