Iraqi Parliament approves amended electoral law

The Iraqi Parliament has endorsed an amendment to the electoral law which had cast doubt over the fate of the country’s general election scheduled to be held in January 2010.

The lawmakers attended a Monday session of Parliament, discussing how to resolve the dispute erupted on Wednesday, when Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi used his veto power to demand a greater say for minorities and Iraqi nationals who fled the country after the 2003 US invasion.

However, the lawmakers eventually voted in favor of an amendment that does not address the vice president’s veto, a Press TV correspondent reported.

At least 190 lawmakers in the 275-seat parliament were attending the parliamentary session, but three parliamentary blocs walked out to display their opposition to the motion.

The revised electoral law allows expatriated Iraqis to vote based on the cities and towns, where they used to live before leaving the country. This would increase the number of eligible voters by 2.8 percent.

Iraq’s electoral commission has repeatedly warned that continued delays over the voting law threaten to leave too little time to complete preparations by the scheduled polling date.

Optimally, the law would be in place 90 days before a ballot. The election is scheduled for mid-January.