Baghdad, October 29: The Iraqi parliament again put off a vote on a key election law on Thursday after failing to reach a quorum when a compromise text was presented, raising the prospect of January polls being delayed.
“Because the Kurds boycotted the meeting, there was no vote today as insufficient MPs were present,” a lawmaker said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There were only 100 MPs, and the quorum is 138.”
Parliament speaker Iyad al-Samarrai told reporters that “consultations will continue (on the law) and there will be another meeting of parliament on Saturday,” without specifying whether lawmakers would vote on the bill.
The proposed changes to the law would require parties to publish full lists of candidates on ballot papers, in contrast to the current closed list system under which voters see only party names.
The key stumbling block to the passage of the law has so far been the status of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, which the Kurds have long demanded be incorporated in their autonomous region in the north, despite the opposition of its Arab and Turkmen communities.
Stalemate over the law has sparked concern that the polls, scheduled for January 16, will have to be delayed because electoral authorities will not have enough time to organise them.
Pressure has been put on MPs to reach agreement on the new law from a wide variety of sources, including US President Barack Obama, the United Nations and Iraqi religious leaders, as well as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
—Agencies