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Iraqi government not giving up on early elections

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is seeking to manage disparate political blocs to allow early electons.
The Iraqi parliament votes on the new Iraqi government, headed by Adel Abdul Mahdi, October 24, 2018 in Baghdad. - The Iraqi parliament on Thursday approved 14 new cabinet ministers proposed by prime minister-designate Adel Abdel Mahdi, even as key portfolios such as defence and interior affairs remain unassigned, an official said. A total of 220 lawmakers out of 329 elected in May to a deeply divided parliamant, approved Mahdi's 14 picks, including for the ministries of foreign affairs, finances, and petro

BAGHDAD — Despite the fact that most political parties in Iraq agreed to hold elections as soon as possible, and the government of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced that such elections are among the priorities of the government, several conditions will seemingly prevent such goal from being achieved before the current legislative session comes to an end in 2022.

Early elections must achieve four basic conditions: the completion of the Election Law legislation; the restructuring of the Independent High Electoral Commission; the completion of the quorum of the Federal Court, which is responsible for ratifying the election results; and the provision of an appropriate security environment. The latter seems elusive given the ongoing kidnappingsassassinations and rocket firing at government headquarters and diplomatic missions both inside and outside the capital Baghdad.

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