Iraqi lawmakers pass election law, paving way for January vote

[TomCADem]

Source: Washington Post

BAGHDAD -- Iraqi lawmakers on Sunday night passed an election law, overcoming a weeks-long impasse and averting a constitutional crisis that threatened to delay the U.S. troop drawdown.

The vote was held during a rare evening session preceded by intense lobbying efforts by U.S. and UN diplomats, who had grown increasingly frustrated and worried by sluggish pace of negotiations and the acrimony that characterized them.

"This was amazing for me," Kurdish lawmaker Ala Talabani said after leaving the session. "There was a lot of discussion, a lot of arguing, but we finally were forced to listen to each other. It's a nice feeling -- that we're on the path of real democracy."

To address the most contentious issue, Kurdish and Arab lawmakers agreed that votes cast in the disputed province of Kirkuk would be examined closely months after the vote.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/08/AR2009110812688.html