Iraqi Parliament Continues to Avoid Kirkuk Dispute
Two weeks ago, it was uncertain whether the Iraqi Parliament would pass a crucial law addressing some serious flaws with the nation’s election process. According to the Los Angeles Times, the political stalemate has begun to ease and the law was passed yesterday.
This new legislation will result in more representation for Sunni Arabs, who were formerly underrepresented after boycotting elections in 2005. It also assures that women will be guaranteed a foothold in the political arena, political use of religious symbols will be banned, and an open slate in which voters elect individuals, not parties, will be instituted.
The reason this law had taken so long to pass was a dispute in Parliament over the city of Kirkuk, which the Kurds wish to incorporate into a semi-autonomous region. This issue was bypassed and the legislation mandated that a solution to this problem be addressed in the near future.
Although many Iraqi citizens hoped for more radical improvements, no one can argue with the fact that these reforms are steering Iraqi politics in a better direction. The US, for one, is looking forward to the elections and believes they will amend the political power imbalance that has led to so much sectarian violence.
Haley Hackendale
