Iraqi Election Law Passes

Reuters reports that a compromise election law was passed in the Iraqi parliament on Sunday.  The pivotal issue of voting procedures in Kirkuk, where the Kurds wanted to use an updated voter registry that reflected an increased Kurdish population and to keep Kirkuk as one voter constituency, has been side-stepped.  According to al Arabiyya the vote in Kirkuk will be provisional and representatives will have one year, with the help of the U.N., to root out fraudulent votes.  Reidar Visser is reporting the new voter law will also include open candidate lists as well as an indirect ban on the use of images of (non-candidate) religious leaders.  While the actual number of seats was not determined, it is expected that there will be between 275 to 310 parliamentarians.  Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, in a statement, called this “a historic victory of the will of the Iraqi people” and a “strong response against the terrorists and the former regime members who are trying to undermine security and undermine the political process and return the country to the dark ages, injustice, tyranny and discrimination.”

Al Arabiyya is now reporting that parliamentary elections will be held on January 21.

Both Marc Lynch and Max Boot agree that this is a positive step for Iraqis.  Boot believes, “this is a positive sign showing that, for all its faults and limitations, Iraqi democracy is alive and well.”  Lynch argues that, “demonstrates that overall Obama’s Iraqi strategy is going well even if it doesn’t get much attention” and that Ambassador Christopher Hill‘s hands off approach is basically the right one.  The NY Times is reporting that the election deal will keep U.S. troop withdrawal on schedule, which intends to begin a rapid withdrawal of the 120,000 American troops still in Iraq after the election.

In other news, Joost Hiltermann and Max Boot have published in depth articles about the state of Iraq ahead of the withdrawal.  Hiltermann’s article in the New York Review of Books sees 2010 a crucial year for Iraq democracy and stability.  Boot’s piece in the Weekly Standard examines Iraqi force capabilities and argues that the administration needs to protect the gains it has made.