CAIRO, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi presidential council on Friday officially approved the provincial election law which paves the way for holding the provincial elections early next year, the MENA news agency reported.

    Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Vice Presidents Adel Abdel-Mahdi and Tareq al-Hashimi approved the law in its present form but the president suggested that clause 50, which protects the right of minorities to political representation, be re-inserted into the law, the report said.

    The Iraqi parliament on Sept. 24 approved the new provincial election law after reaching a consensus among the conflicted political blocs, and called for holding the vote no later than Jan.31, 2009.

    The elections had been scheduled for Oct. 1, but the dispute rose over how the polls should be conducted in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

    All the sides in the parliament have agreed about the controversial issue of Kirkuk, which would have a separate law in dealing with the elections, after solving the power-sharing issue in the city.