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| Iraq |
| Iraq's Parliament Approves Election Law |
| 2009-12-07 |
| Iraqi lawmakers overcame long-standing divisions Sunday to pass a law needed to conduct parliamentary elections early next year. Parliament approved the law late Sunday in a nearly unanimous vote. The new law expands parliament from the current 275 seats to 325 seats. The bill took shape during several months of intense debate over how much parliamentary representation should be given to Iraq's minority groups. Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi said the law resolves his objections. He had demanded revisions to give his Sunni minority group a greater political voice. The vice president vetoed an earlier version of the law that did not meet this condition. The White House congratulated the Iraqi people and their elected representatives in passing the law and called it a "decisive moment for Iraq's democracy." The United States has linked the pace of its military withdrawal from Iraq to the elections, which are considered a test of the country's ability to provide its own security. Iraqi leaders had warned that if the law was further delayed, the elections previously planned for January would be postponed for at least a month. |
| Posted by:Steve White |