US and UN officials have proposed solutions to Iraq's Sunni Arab vice president to stop him vetoing for a second time a law needed for an election to take place next year, an official said today.
Seen as a milestone for Iraq's fledgling democracy as it emerges from sectarian war set off by the 2003 US invasion, the vote is likely to be delayed past its due date in January, possibly affecting US plans for a partial pullout next year.
The proposals to resolve the impasse involve a mechanism for satisfying Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi's demands for a greater representation in the next parliament for Iraqis abroad, many of whom are Sunnis, said his spokesman.
Using such a mechanism would avoid having to change the electoral law.
"We say that if the mechanism is fair and applicable, not just a formality, and ensures a fair vote for all Iraqis abroad and does not deprive any province of seats, then the law with this mechanism will be accepted," said Abdul Elah Kadhum, a spokesman for Mr Hashemi's office.
Mr Hashemi, one of three members of a presidential council with the power to veto legislation, rejected an initial electoral law that parliament had spent weeks negotiating.
Rather than address his complaint that refugees who fled abroad after the US invasion would not get enough seats, Shia and Kurdish lawmakers in parliament joined forces to approve a new law this week that reduces Sunni representation.
It took seats from Sunni areas and gave them to Kurdish provinces in what lawmakers said was slight to Mr Hashemi.
Reuters