Iraq's Presidential Council did not ratify a new provincial elections law because of fears that minorities would not be guaranteed representation in provincial councils, an Iraqi news organization said Friday quoting the deputy prime minister.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani did not endorse the law after expressing his concern after the emission of an article addressing quotas for minorities in the provincial councils, the Voices of Iraq
(VOI) news agency said quoting Barham Saleh.
Saleh was speaking after an unofficial meeting between Talabani, his two deputies and the president of the Autonomous Kurdistan Region.
"The unofficial meeting expressed reservations over abrogated article 50 but never endorsed the law," Saleh was quoted by VOI as saying.
Earlier reports had said the president had approved the elections law, a necessary move before Iraqis start to vote for councils nationwide.
The Iraqi Parliament decided on September 24 to remove Article 50, which specifies a quota for minorities on provincial councils.
The Iraqi Presidential Council comprises Iraq's Kurdish president, Talabani, and his Sunni and Shiite vice-presidents.
The parliamentary decision has sparked a heated reaction from several political blocs representing the country's Christians and other minorities.
More than 10,000 Iraqi Christians demonstrated Thursday in the northern Dahuk province, demanding self-rule in their area and the restoration of the clause in the new elections law that would guarantee their representation on councils.
Earlier in the week, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki expressed his concerns about the removal of the disputed article.
In a statement released by his office, al-Maliki called on parliament and the Iraqi High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to address the concerns, feelings of injustice and the sense of exclusion felt by some segments of Iraqi society.
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