Dying Hope for Open-List Elections

The Democratic Piece has published an blog discussing the slow death in Iraq of  reformed electoral laws including open-list proportional representation (OLPR) for the January Council of Representatives elections.  Despite public protests and Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini Al-Sistani advocating for an open-list system, sectarian forces in the parliament do not seem willing to act on the legislation.  The blog goes on to examine the implications of a closed-list system, which it argues “is likely to reflect the divisive religious or ethnic cleavages that fuel conflict in the first place.”

In other news, Al Arabiya is reporting that Zahraa al-Moussawi, a journalist known for her coverage of Iraqi corruption, was brutally attacked by a group of armed men.