Pat Dollard | Young Americans

The Iraqis are so happy at this historic occasion, and see it as such a big moment of national unity they’ve branded it “The Iraqi Wedding Ceremony”.

Iraq Media:

Baghdad, Feb 13, (VOI) - Iraq’s parliament on Wednesday passed three key laws that set legislations for provincial elections, allotted $48 billion for 2008 spending, and provided general amnesty to detainees in Iraqi custody.

Branding the session as an “Iraqi wedding ceremony,” the Iraqi parliament speaker said in a press conference that “the voting took into consideration all blocs and their powers.”

“Rows took place in the session, but we voted on the laws and will abide by them,” al-Mashhadani conceded.
The Sadrists and a number of members of Fadhila party, Iraqi National List (INL), Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC), and the Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF) withdrew from the session.

The withdrawal of the members did not affect the quorum,” a parliamentary source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq - (VOI).

The three measures were bundled together for one vote to satisfy the demands of Kurds who feared they may be double-crossed on their budget demands.

The Kurds wanted 17 percent of the budget to be allotted to the Kurdistan region. Other groups have argued that the Kurds deserve less as they represent a smaller percentage of the population. However, no census has been completed in decades.

A compromise was reached whereby the allocation would remain at 17 percent for this year, but will be reviewed once a proper census had been carried out.

The vote came a day after the Sunni speaker of the fragmented parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, threatened to disband the legislature, saying “It is so riddled with distrust it appeared unable to act on the budget or set a date for provincial elections.”

A draft of the law on provincial elections, which includes a detailed outline on devolving power to the provinces, had initially said voting would begin on Oct. 1. Other details on that law and the amnesty were not immediately known.
The U.S. administration has demanded the passage of a provincial powers law as one of 18 benchmarks for political reconciliation in Iraq.

The last time Iraqis voted for local officials was in January 2005, when nationwide elections ushered in representational government across Iraq for the first time in modern history.

Meanwhile Christian lawmaker Yonadam Kannah said the parliament would be on a break until Feb.

And now, the MSM’s take. AP:

BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq’s parliament on Wednesday passed three key pieces of legislation that set a date for provincial elections, allot $48 billion for 2008 spending, and provide limited amnesty to detainees in Iraqi custody.

The three measures were bundled together for one vote to satisfy the demands of minority Kurds who feared they might be double-crossed on their stand that the budget allot 17 percent to their semiautonomous regional government in the north.

The vote came a day after the Sunni speaker of the fragmented parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, threatened to disband the legislature, saying it was so riddled with distrust it appeared unable to adopt legislation.

Following the session, which capped weeks of wrangling over the budget and other issues, the parliament began a five-week holiday.

The draft law on provincial elections, which includes a detailed outline on devolving power to the provinces, initially had said voting would begin Oct. 1. Other details on that law and the amnesty were not immediately known.

The measures still must be approved by the three-member presidency council.

The Bush administration and Congress have sought passage of a provincial powers law as one of 18 benchmarks to promote reconciliation among Iraq’s Sunni and Shiite Arab communities and the large Kurdish minority.

It is only the second of the so-called benchmarks to make it through parliament. A measure that allows lower-ranking members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath party to reclaim government jobs became law earlier this year, but Sunnis have demanded amendments and the future of the measure is unclear.

Other proposals, including divvying up the country’s vast oil wealth and amending the constitution, also remain stalled.

The disarray has threatened to undermine the purpose of last year’s U.S. troop buildup—to bring down violence and allow the Iraqi government and parliament to focus on reconciliation. Violence is down dramatically, but political progress languishes.

Still, the U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker congratulated the lawmakers and said it was a victory for the Iraqi people.

“These are difficult issues. They required a lot of effort, a lot of compromise, but they are important steps forward,” he said at a news conference shortly after the vote.

The last time Iraqis voted for local officials was January 2005, when nationwide elections ushered in representational government for the first time in modern history.

But many Sunni Arabs boycotted the polls, giving Iraq’s majority Shiites and minority Kurds the bulk of power. The U.S. hopes the new elections will empower the Sunni minority and blunt support for the insurgency.