Iraq Election Postponement Looks Likely

[unhappycamper]

Iraq Election Postponement Looks Likely
December 02, 2009
Associated Press

BAGHDAD - Iraq's scheduled January elections will need to be postponed by more than a month because of a dispute over an election law, a United Nations official said Wednesday, a delay that could threaten the planned U.S. withdrawal of combat troops.

Iraqi lawmakers have been working for months to pass a law needed to reform the election process, seeking to make it more reflective of Iraq's population. It is unclear what a long delay would mean for the United States.

Sandra Mitchell, the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq's electoral commission, suggested to parliament Speaker Ayad al-Samarie the election could possibly even be moved to March, the speaker said on his Web site.

Iraq's vice president has vetoed the law because he wanted more seats for Iraqis living abroad, most of whom are Sunnis. The minority party has seen its once-privileged status evaporate since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

President Barack Obama has ordered the withdrawal of all combat troops by Aug. 31, 2010, leaving up to 50,000 troops in advisory roles. Under an Iraqi-U.S. security agreement, those remaining troops would leave by the end of 2011.


Rest if article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/iraq-election-postponement-looks-likely.html?col=1186032310810