Iraq elections thrown into chaos by Sunni veto
18/11/2009 - 16:14:14Iraq’s vice president vetoed part of a key law today that could delay national elections due in January.
The move by the Sunni, attacked by Iraq’s Shiite prime minister as a threat to democracy, will probably delay the vote since parliament must now discuss vice president Tariq al-Hashemi’s demands and take a vote on them, which could take days or even weeks.
Already, the country’s election commission said it has suspended preparations for the vote.
A further complication arose yesterday when Kurdish leaders threatened to boycott the election unless the three northern provinces they control are given more seats in the next, 223-seat parliament.
Mr Al-Hashemi has sent part of the law back to parliament to be amended so that more seats will be allocated for Iraqis living abroad, most of whom are Sunni Arabs.
He said all other provisions in the law are satisfactory, and stressed that only the part related to the number of seats for voters abroad will be open for discussion.
“My objection is not to the entire law, but only the first article in order to be fair to Iraqis living abroad,” he said. “I hope that parliament will hold a vote soon on the suggested amendments so that elections can be carried out at their schedule date.”
As one of three members of Iraq’s presidential council, Mr al-Hashemi holds veto power over legislation.
It was not immediately clear when parliament would take up the vice president’s suggestions, or what precise impact it would have on the date of elections. No final date has been set yet for the vote, but the constitution mandates that it be held before the end of January.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki slammed al-Hashemi’s decision to veto the bill, calling it “a serious threat to the political process and democracy.”
“It has no solid constitutional basis,” a statement on the premier’s website said. “The high national interests were not taken into consideration,” said the prime minister, who has been locked in a bitter rivalry with Mr al-Hashemi since Mr al-Maliki took office in May 2006.
Mr Al-Maliki also urged parties to forge ahead with their election preparations.
Dominant for decades under Saddam, Iraq’s minority Sunni Arabs have felt politically marginalised since the former dictator’s fall in 2003. They boycotted the first post-Saddam national elections in January 2005, and Mr al-Hashemi’s demands appear to stem from Sunni fears of being sidelined once again.
Politicians haggled for weeks over the election legislation before finally passing it on November 8, much to the relief of Iraqi political leaders and the West, which pushed hard for a deal.
Little more than a week later, the hard-fought agreement appears to be crumbling. Iraq’s Kurds have also demanded changes to the law to ensure more seats for Kurdish regions in parliament, and threatened to boycott the elections unless their demands were met.
That ultimatum, coupled with Mr al-Hashemi’s move, could undermine Iraq’s fledgling democracy and trigger a constitutional crisis if the vote is not held by the end of January.
The top US commander in Iraq said Wednesday that Washington’s plans to withdraw all combat troops by the end of August 2010 remain on track despite the dispute over the election law.
General Raymond Odierno said that the military can adjust its plans if the need arises, but that no decision has to be made before late spring.
“We’re set up and we’re flexible enough between now and the first of May,” he said.
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