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| Iraq |
| UN envoy presses Iraq on controversial provincial election |
| 2008-09-07 |
| The UN envoy to Iraq on Saturday urged politicians to get moving on a key provincial election law that remains bogged down in controversy over the administration of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk. "It is necessary to hold the provincial election at the end of this year, or at least by early next year," Staffan de Mistura told reporters after meeting Iraq's most respected Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf. "There is no justification to delay this election," he said in the southern holy city. Iraq had been due to go to the polls on October 1, but the long-awaited legislation to oversee the ballot has faced repeated delays over the political handling of the disputed northern province. MPs failed to agree on the electoral law before the parliament went on summer recess from August 6 to September 9. "There are risks if this election is not held because we will face the issue of the provincial councils being illegal, when the period is over," di Mistura said. The elections, considered crucial to stabilising the country, are now expected to be postponed to early 2009 because parliament has yet to pass the law. The election commission has said it is has lost the chance to hold the polls on time because it needs at least four months in order to organise them. There was no immediate comment from Sistani following his meeting with di Mistura, but at the end of last month he urged Iraqis to ensure they were registered to vote. There are 17.3 million registered voters this year compared with 14.2 million in the last election, held in 2005. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 That'll get some action. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-09-07 08:32 |