The United Nations expects Iraq's parliament to review rules on a the constitutional referendum after the world body criticised a decision that made it harder to block the charter, a UN official said today.
"We have expressed our position to the national assembly and to the leadership of the government and told them that the decision that was taken was not acceptable and would not meet international standards," Jose Aranaz, a legal adviser to the UN electoral team in Iraq, said.
"Hopefully by tomorrow the situation will be clarified."
Iraq's parliament made a ruling on Sunday determining that for the October 15th referendum to pass only half of those who turn out to vote across the country would have to say "Yes".
But a clause setting a two-thirds "No" vote in at least three of 18 provinces as a veto on the charter would be interpreted to mean two thirds of all registered, rather than actual, voters.
In other words, the word "voter" in the interim constitution was being interpreted in two different ways in the same article.
The decision by the parliament, where Shias and Kurds have an overwhelming majority, threatened to further alienate the Sunni Arab minority, many of whom are opposed to the constitution and are hoping to defeat it at the referendum.
"They cannot have a double interpretation in the same sentence," Mr Aranaz said. "The interpretation, which we asked for two and a half months ago, came late and it came wrong."
He said that if the problem, which has already prompted some Sunni Arabs to call for a boycott of the referendum, was not sorted out it would compromise the legitimacy of the referendum, the next major step in Iraq's political process.
"The leadership has gone back and explained to the national assembly and hopefully there will be a clarification. If this had gone ahead it would have seriously compromised the exercise," he said.
"It would be moving the goal posts at the end of the game."
Since Iraq's Sunni Arabs have a majority in at least three provinces, they are hoping that with a massive mobilisation of the vote, they can defeat the constitution, which was largely drafted by the Shias and Kurds. If they are required to mobilise two thirds of registered voters, not just voters, it would be next to impossible to defeat the referendum.