The draft of the electoral law proposes to reduce the members of parliament and provincial councils



24/10/2016 (0:01 pm) - The number of readings: 22 - Issue (3765)



BAGHDAD / long - Presse

Independent Electoral Commission confirmed, on Sunday, to embrace preparations for provincial elections under the law currently in force. And it called on the government and parliament to speed up the adoption of the new law to allow them to work under it.

In the meantime, the parliamentary legal committee revealed that the government has been invited to give its opinion of the proposed draft amendments to the law.

She stressed that version includes reducing the members of the provincial councils and the House of Representatives, and modify the calculation of votes system and authorize the parliament the power to postpone the elections.

And considering the blocks amending the election law, and change the system of calculating the votes, a new equation is more complicated, to exclude potential competitors, to reduce the chances of smaller parties and independent candidates to win in local and legislative elections.

According to (Article 39) of the House of Representatives Election Law, No. 45 of 2013, "it may postpone elections in a circle or more if required by circumstances and the delay was at the request of the Council of the election commission and the decision of the Council of Ministers and the approval of the House of Representatives.

Mekdad said Sharifi, UNHCR spokesman, in an interview to the (long-Presse), "The Commission began its preparations for early provincial elections scheduled for next April in 2017, and the cost of speculative prepared to accomplish." He pointed out that "The Commission has so far received nearly 35% of the budget for the elections despite the government's claim to launch the rest of the money."

Sharifi said that "the Commission has not formally amounting to postpone the elections and set them up in conjunction with the parliamentary elections, in spite of the subject in the media, and the intention of sensor Ministers to submit a draft of a new law of its own."

The spokesman for the Commission said that "delayed legislation on Election provincial new law negatively affect the Commission's procedures that can not stop working Elections Law No. 36 of 2008 average," calling to "speed up the amendment of the current law and to send the new project of the Council of Representatives for approval to take effect and be able to Commission to work under it. "

On the other hand expressed MP Hassan Turan, a member of the parliamentary legal committee, expressed the hope "to vote on the new election law soon."

The member of the Legal Committee that "the Council of Ministers to continue work on the preparation of a new draft election law, and called on the House of Representatives to form a joint committee comprising members of the legal committees and the regional and provincial General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers to agree on a final version of the project."

According to Turan, in an interview to the (long-Presse), that "the Legal Committee deems to be a meeting of the Joint Committee at its headquarters being specialized legislation of the law," revealing "Send Cabinet copy of the draft project to the Legal Committee for consideration and a statement of opinion on them before approval by the the government".

Turkmen MP said that "the proposed draft amendment to the election law includes reducing the number of members of the provincial councils and the House of Representatives, and modify St Lego system, the parliament and the power to authorize the postponement of the elections."

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