Iraq-Namese Provincial Election Law Approved

The legislation that sorts out the Iraq-Namese provincial elections is now law. The executive branch approved what the parliament passed over the week-end. As a result, nominations can start on October 15, and the elections must be held by January 31, 2009. However, the absence of Article 50, which protects minorities, from the final bill ensures that the provincial governments will not represent all sides unless reinstated.

According to the AsiaNews wire service, “In the first version of the bill 15 seats were set aside in six provinces for minorities, 13 for Christians and one each for Shabaks and Yazidis.” Set-aside seats are, by their nature, rather undemocratic. However in an ethnically fragmented society, they are a safety valve that ensures every faction has a voice. Absent that safety valve, the minorities are marginalized and often have no recourse but violence.

In the city of Mosul, a largish Christian protest followed church services yesterday. Matti Galia, a local politician, said at a rally in that city, “this is an unjust decision and it affects our rights as Christians. We are original citizens in this country. The politicians’ goal was to divide the Iraqi people and create more struggles. Indirectly, they are telling us to leave Iraq.”

To his credit, President Jalal Talabani has promised to restore Article 50 to the bill. The law as it stands, he said, “is not consistent with the constitution nor with what we feel is needed for Iraq.” He added, “We need to protect our minorities. As president I have the right to amend what parliament passes and I can assure you that we will be amending the change in the law immediately.”

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appears to be on-board as well. In a letter sent to parliament Sunday, he asked legislators and the electoral commission to restore the set-aside seats. “The minorities should be fairly represented in the provincial councils and their rights should be guaranteed,” Mr. al-Maliki wrote.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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