Iraqi election head warns parliament of vote delay

Baghdad: Iraq's election commission chairman says he has warned lawmakers that if they do not have an agreement in place on an election law by the end of Thursday, the country's nationwide vote in January will have to be delayed.

The election commission chairman, Faraj al-Haidari, said on Wednesday that he had informed the parliament speaker late Thursday in writing of that fact. He says if the law is not passed by Thursday's end, it will be impossible to carry out the vote January 16.

Iraqi lawmakers have been struggling over an election law needed to carry out the vote. The key sticking point is Kirkuk, a city claimed by both Kurds and Arabs.