Political progress: iraqis clear way for provincial vote

Iraqis clear way for provincial vote http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080319/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq&printer=1;_ylt=AiE5hm8qqZMcP8hJaM_z8lsUewgF By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press WriterWed Mar 19, 4:59 PM ET Under strong U.S. pressure, Iraq's presidential council signed off Wednesday on a measure paving the way for provincial elections by the fall, a major step toward easing sectarian rifts as the nation marks the fifth anniversary of the war. The decision by the council, made up of the country's president and two vice presidents, lays the groundwork for voters to choose new leaders of Iraq's 18 provinces. The elections open the door to greater Sunni representation in regional administrations. Many Sunnis boycotted the last election for provincial officials in January 2005, enabling Shiites and Kurds to win a disproportionate share of power at the expense of the Sunnis — even in areas with substantial Sunni populations. That in turn helped fuel the Sunni-led insurgency and the wave of sectarian bloodletting which drove the country to the brink of civil war before President Bush rushed nearly 30,000 U.S. reinforcements to Iraq last year. The decision by the council came two days after Vice President Dick Cheney visited Baghdad to press Iraqi leaders to overcome their differences and take advantage of a lull in violence to make progress in power-sharing deals to heal sectarian and ethnic divisions. A spokesman for the biggest Sunni bloc, Saleem Abdullah, said Cheney pushed hard for progress on the provincial elections as well as a long-stalled measure to share the country's oil wealth. Last month, Iraq's parliament passed the bill calling for provincial elections by Oct. 1. But the presidential council blocked implementation after the Shiite vice president, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, raised objections to some of the provisions.That outraged followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who are eager for elections to take power away from Abdul-Mahdi's party in the vast, oil-rich Shiite heartland of southern Iraq. Al-Sadr's supporters believed their Shiite rivals were trying to delay the vote to hold on to power.Although many details must still be worked out before a vote can be scheduled, the council's decision Wednesday makes it likely that a vote can take place later this year. "This is a good, positive step to enhance national unity and defuse the political tension," Nasser al-Ani, a Sunni lawmaker and presidential council spokesman, told The Associated Press.