BAGHDAD, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi parliament
speaker ended an emergency parliamentary session Wednesday after the political
blocs failed to reach an agreement over a disputed provincial election bill.
Parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani said by the end
of the 44th session on Wednesday, the parliament concluded its first
legislative term and would resume sessions on Sept. 9.
He urged all the political blocs to form a committee
to continue negotiations over the election law under the supervision of the
United Nations until they reach an accord.
Mashhadani, however, said he would order an emergency
session during the recess if the committee manages to reach a consensus.
The decision to go to a recess came after the Iraqi
political blocs failed to narrow their differences over the provincial election
bill which stipulates a power-sharing formula in the northern oil-rich province
of Kirkuk. The Kurds vehemently rejected it.
On July 31, the parliament adjourned for a one-month
summer recess, but agreed to hold a special session during the parliament break
to try to resolve the impasse of the provincial election bill by approving a new
or modified one.
Electoral officials have said failure to pass the
bill could delay the nationwide vote until next year.
Earlier in the day, the
parliament ratified a supplementary budget of 21 billion U.S. dollars which is roughly half of the
48-billion-dollar budget of 2008 approved earlier by the parliament.
BAGHDAD, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi parliament
ratified a supplementary budget of 21 billion U.S. dollars on Wednesday amid
dispute over a controversial provincial election law, official television
reported.
"The Iraqi lawmakers approved the supplementary
budget for the current year in its session today," the state-run Iraqia TV said.
Full story
BAGHDAD, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi parliament Sunday failed to hold an
emergency session aimed at reaching an accord on key provincial election
legislative bill, vetoed earlier by presidency council, a lawmaker said.
"The emergency session scheduled to be held today has been adjourned until
further notice," Salim al-Jubouri, spokesman of the Accordance Front, a major
Sunni Arab bloc in the parliament, told Xinhua. Full story
BAGHDAD, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi
parliament approved on Tuesday a key election bill, despite a walk-out by
lawmakers from the Kurdish coalition bloc, Iraqi official television reported.
The Iraqi state-run television said that the parliament passed the
controversial bill in a closed-session. Full story
BAGHDAD, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani has rejected the provincial election law that was passed by the
parliament on Tuesday, his office said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The president can not agree with a law that breach
the principle of consensus among the interests of the three Iraqi components
(Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds) and is a flagrant violation to the constitution,"
the statement said. Full story
