IHEC calls for political blocs to present local polls candidates in Ninewa

NINEWA/IraqiNews.com: The Independent High Electoral Commission (IIHEC) Thursday called for political parties and blocs to present their candidates for the provincial elections in Ninewa, a local official said. “The IHEC called for the political bloc to submit their candidates lists for provincial elections by October 29 provided that it in includes 37 candidates with 25% quota for women,” Mehdi Harki, the chief of Elections commission in Ninewa’s local council. Parliament approved the law unanimously on Sept. 24 following months of deadlock centering on a Kurdish-Arab dispute over the city of Kirkuk, which the Kurds seek to incorporate into their semiautonomous region in the north. But Christians, Yazidis and other minorities objected to the exclusion of an article that would guarantee them a certain number of seats on local councils. Support has been growing among Iraqi lawmakers from all sides to find a way to restore a quota system for minorities. But critics said it was difficult because of a lack of census data. U.S. officials hope the election, which must be held by Jan. 31 according to the new legislation, will give greater representation disaffected members of ethnic and sectarian groups that boycotted the last provincial election in January 2005, creating a disproportionate share of the seats in a number of provinces, AM(S) 1