Inside Iraq - Election law vetoed - 20 Nov 09

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Just when things appeared to be back on track in Iraq, a setback has arisen. Iraq's parliament recently passed a long delayed election law, but now, Tariq al-Hashimi, Iraq's vice-president, has vetoed the bill. Al-Hashimi said he did not reject the bill as a whole, but there is one part that he considers unconstitutional. According to the new election law, Iraqis in exile would account for only 5 per cent of the seats in parliament, even though several million Iraqis live abroad. Most of them are thought to be Sunnis, so this provision could reduce the weight of Sunni Arabs in the upcoming election. Many Iraqis living in Syria or Jordan appreciate the move, but al-Hashimi faces harsh criticism from Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, and from the US government. On Inside Iraq this week, we ask: Who are the winners and losers of al-Hashimi's veto and will the elections still go ahead in January?

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