May 12 set for parliamentary elections in Iraq

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Iraqi parliament voted to hold parliamentary elections in May, a Kurdish lawmaker Bakhtyar Shaways, said on Monday (January 22), one day after the federal court rejected delay of the elections.

The Iraqi Council of Representatives held its regular session on Monday to vote on the election law and agreed to a date for the parliamentary elections.

A reporter namely Omed Mohammed said the Iraqi Council of Representatives voted overwhelmingly for May 12, as the date of the parliamentary elections.

Mohammed added the parliament has yet to vote on the provincial council elections. The Sunnis have proposed to postpone provincial council polls for six month and to hold parliamentary elections on May 12, he said.

The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court required the Iraqi parliament on Sunday to abide by the time set for the parliamentary elections, which is May 12, 2018. The court said it is invalid to change the date of the elections.

However, lawmakers representing liberated territories argue that millions of civilians have yet to return to their homes while public services have not been fully restored to those areas.

Parliament called on the government Monday to arrange a swift return of the displaced and to create a peaceful atmosphere for the elections. Speaker Salim al-Jabouri said armed forces would be solely responsible for security of the elections.

The elections would be the fourth since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq that led to the fall of former dictator Saddam Hussein.

Four groups are regarded as main contenders, namely followers of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, people advocating the Popular Mobilization Units who were key elements of the fight against Daesh, those close to current vice president and former premier Nouri al-Maliki, and a group led by prominent Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.




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