|
Iraq's provincial elections could be delayed: MPs
23.6.2008
|
|
|
|
June
23, 2008
BAGHDAD, — Iraq's provincial elections,
seen as vital for fostering national reconciliation,
could be delayed because of disputes in parliament
over the electoral law, several lawmakers said on
Sunday.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has said the elections
will be held on Oct 1, but a dispute has emerged
between Arab and Kurdish lawmakers over what to do
about voting in the disputed oil rich city of Kirkuk
in northern Iraq.
"There are many problems hindering us from agreeing
the provincial elections law. One of the main
problems is Kirkuk," Jalal al-Din al-Sagheer, head
of the parliamentary bloc from the ruling Shi'ite
Alliance, told Reuters.
"I think it will be very difficult to hold elections
on time."
The electoral commission has said the draft law must
be passed by the start of July to give it three
months to prepare for the polls. U.S. officials have
said the elections could be delayed until November,
but have not elaborated.
The fate of Kirkuk, a mixed city of Arabs, Kurds and
Turkmen that sits atop rich oil fields, is already
one of the most divisive issues in Iraq.
Minority Kurds,www.ekurd.net
who control the northern
Kurdistan region, see Kirkuk as their ancient
capital and want a constitutionally mandated
referendum to be held to decide its status. Arabs
encouraged to move there under Saddam Hussein want
the city to stay under Baghdad and have been wary of
a vote.
Given Kirkuk's status had not been resolved, Arab
and Turkmen lawmakers said they wanted a separate
law to govern voting in the city. Kurd lawmakers
have rejected this proposal.
"We completely reject the suggestion of drawing up a
special law for Kirkuk. We call for elections in the
whole of Iraq on the same day," said Mehsin al-Sa'doon,
a senior Kurd lawmaker.
He said Kurds were prepared to reach a political
consensus on dividing up control of the city once
elections had been held.
SEPARATE LAW
Sagheer said Arab and Turkmen supported establishing
a separate law for elections in Kirkuk.
"We have our point of view regarding the demographic
changes in Kirkuk since 2003," he said.
Arabs believe Kurds have stacked the city with Kurds
since the downfall of Saddam in 2003 in an attempt
to tip the demographic balance in their favor in any
vote.
Given the impasse, lawmakers said on Sunday that
parliament had agreed to delay its summer recess
until early August, when it would take two months
off. Parliament had been due to break for vacation
from the beginning of July.
Deputy parliament speaker Khalid al-Attiya suggested
a committee that comprised Arab, Kurdish and Turkmen
lawmakers meet continuously for a week to find a
solution.
Washington says the elections will promote
reconciliation by boosting the participation of
minority Sunni Arabs in politics. Sunni Arabs
boycotted the last local polls in January 2005.
Analysts say the elections will also be the
battleground for a fierce power struggle among
majority Shi'ites.
Usama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni Arab lawmaker from the
Iraqi National list, said the Kurdish demands could
delay reaching a solution.
"I don't believe this problem will be solved soon,"
he said.
Copyright, respective author or news agency, Reuters
*
Kirkuk city is historically a Kurdish city
and it lies just south border of the Kurdistan
autonomous region, the population is a mix of
majority Kurds and minority of Arabs, Christians and
Turkmen. lies 250 km northeast of Baghdad. Kurds
have a strong cultural and emotional attachment to Kirkuk,
which they call "the Kurdish Jerusalem."
The article 140 in Iraqi constitution calls for conducting a census to be
followed by a referendum to let the inhabitants
decide whether they would like Kirkuk to be annexed
to the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region or having
it as an independent province.
These stages were supposed to end on December 31,
2007, a deadline that was later extended to six
months.
The former regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
had forced over 250,000 Kurdish residents to give up
their homes to Arabs in the 1970s, to "Arabize" the
city and the region's oil industry.
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 