Iraqi Parliament Fails to Resolve Election Impasse

With officials saying Iraq has just two days to get its election law finalized if it hopes to even hypothetically hold elections in January, as the nation’s constitution requires parliament was, as expected, unable to come to any sort of agreement to rescue the law.

Parliament was only able to agree to its previous draft of the law after months of intensive negotiations, but the preparations for the vote were brought to an immediate halt last week when Vice President Hashemi vetoed the law, complaining that it gives no legal representation to millions of Iraqi citizens who are still living as refugees outside the nation.

With the prospects of parliament coming to another deal looking slim, ruling party MPs are reportedly pressuring Hashemi to withdraw his veto. It seems however that this is unlikely.

The veto has created a constitutional crisis in Iraq, with some officials claiming that since the veto makes a January vote impossible, the veto itself cannot possibly be legal. At the same time, the vice president has used his veto power numerous times without such a challenge.