BAGHDAD, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi vetoed Wednesday the country's election law, demanding more seats in the next parliament for Iraqis living abroad, a source from Hashimi's office said.

    "Hashimi vetoed the elections law, objecting the first article of the law that related to the number of seats allocated for Iraqis outside the country," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    He said that Hashimi informed the parliament with the veto, throwing January's national polls into question.

    Earlier, Hashimi threatened to veto the long-awaited law as he demanded a greater representation for voters outside the country who are mostly Sunni Arabs.

    Hashimi's veto threatened to a new possible delay to the country's elections, which according to the Iraqi constitution should take place by the end of January, and could push back the U.S. troop drawdown.

    Earlier, U.S. military officials said that they have plans to start draw down forces about 60 days after the elections and that the combat troops must be out of Iraq by the end of August 2010, as they consider that the country will be stable by then.

    On Tuesday, the Kurdish Regional government (KRG) in northern Iraq also threatened to boycott the country's January national elections, protesting the process of the parliamentary seats allocation for the provinces.
    
Special Report: Tension escalates in Iraq