BAGHDAD - The Iraqi parliament failed for a second time yesterday to vote on an election law crucial for organizing elections in January that will choose a new Parliament and serve as a milestone in American plans to withdraw combat troops from the country.
Often in Iraq, deadlines come and go. But election officials face a logistical challenge ahead of the Jan. 16 vote, the first national election since 2005.
They say they need the law passed now to give them roughly three months to prepare for the vote, although they could gain a week or two if the election were delayed. After that, Parliament’s term expires, throwing Iraq’s nascent political system into an unconstitutional limbo, just months before the US military wanted to begin withdrawing troops in earnest.
“We don’t know what we’re going to do,’’ said Faraj al-Haidari, the head of the Independent High Electoral Commission, which organizes the election.
“If they don’t pass a new law, a curse is going to fall on the political parties,’’ said Safia Sahhal, a secular lawmaker. “Why? Because this is what Iraqis want.’’
In a statement, US Ambassador Christopher Hill and General Ray Odierno, the American military commander here, had pushed lawmakers to pass the legislation last week. But lawmakers postponed last Thursday’s vote until yesterday. Some predicted the vote could come again as early as today. Others said it might be weeks away.
Lawmakers continued negotiating as UN officials and representatives of the American Embassy lingered on the sidelines. As each hour passed, confidence receded that a quick compromise would be reached on issues such as the number of seats in a new Parliament.
