Region | Iraq

Parliament walkout freezes bill on Iraqi local elections

Dozens of Iraqi legislators walked out of parliament to protest parts of a draft law that would lay out rules for provincial elections later this year.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 12:01 February 8, 2008
  • Gulf News

Baghdad: Dozens of Iraqi legislators walked out of parliament to protest parts of a draft law that would lay out rules for provincial elections later this year.

Thursday's walkout by nearly 90 members of the Shiite Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council and Kurdish allies postponed a planned vote on the measure on redistributing power in Iraq.

The main sticking point was a dispute over whether the authority to fire provincial governors should rest with the prime minister or with the Iraq's governing councils.

Council members walked out after lawmakers approved giving power to the prime minister. Voting on the rest of the 56-point package was scheduled to resume on Saturday.

The draft law, if approved, would set an October 1 date for provincial elections, which the US hopes will empower the Sunni minority and blunt support for the insurgency.

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