Saudi Arabia welcomes trilateral border treaty between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan    Trump prepares to unveil sweeping new US tariffs on 'Liberation Day'    At least 22 civilians killed in Israeli strike on UNRWA clinic in Gaza    UK says it won't jump into US trade war as Starmer urges calm response to tariffs    Russia, Ukraine trade fresh accusations of violating US-brokered energy ceasefire deal    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Iraqi elections to be delayed for a week =
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 09 - 11 - 2009


Iraq is now scheduled to hold parliamentary
elections on January 21, the country"s electoral commission announced
Monday, five days later than originally scheduled, according to dpa.
The delay followed weeks of tense negotiations among
parliamentarians over voting in the disputed northern city of Kirkuk
and its environs that had repeatedly delayed a vote on the elections
law.
Many Iraqi Kurds hope to make Kirkuk the capital of a future
independent state. Iraqi Arabs and Turkmens view the city, and its
nearby oil fields, as integral parts of Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hailed the compromise, the
result of weeks of negotiations capped by a 12-hour session, as "a
great achievement for the political process and the democratic
experience."
"Holding elections on time, and according to the open-list system,
is a historic victory for the will of the Iraqi people, and a strong
response to the terrorists and remnants of the former regime who are
trying to shake the country"s security, destroy the political process
and bring the country back to the age of oppression," he said.
Under Sunday"s deal, voters in Kirkuk will use the most recent
voting lists and will vote at the same time as the rest of the
country.
Kurdish voters had pressed for the most recent voting lists to be
used, believing they would reflect the return of Kurds to the region
since the 2003, US-led invasion.
Arab and Turkmen politicians had viewed that increase with
suspicion, and had asked for the voter registration rolls to be
examined.
The most recent UN-sponsored compromise solution proposed making
the results from the Kirkuk elections provisional, subject to a
review of the voter rolls within a year.
Sheikh Khalid al-Atiya, who chaired Sunday"s marathon session
because the speaker of the parliament, Iyad al-Samarrai, was
attending an international conference, praised parliamentarians for
their "great efforts" to approve the law.
Iraqi Kurdish member of parliament Khalid Shuani, speaking to
the German Press Agency dpa on Monday, hailed the law as the result
of "a national demand that found a solution to Kirkuk and a way to
include it in the elections."
Akram Tarzi, a Turkmen member of parliament, likewise praised the
law, noting that it came after "sensitive and difficult
deliberations."
"Despite our reservations on some of the articles in the new law,
passing it was an important achievement," he told dpa. "It guarantees
a special status to Kirkuk and its contribution in elections at the
same time as the rest of Iraqi cities."
The Independent High Electoral Commission on Monday announced that
the new parliament would also consist of 323 seats, an increase of 48
seats from the current legislature. The election law passed Sunday
requires one representative for every 100,000 Iraqis, as calculated
by the number of food-rations cards.


Clic here to read the story from its source.