Thursday, October 12, 2006
Federalism bill passed
Politics
The Iraqi parliament on Wednesday approved a law which would allow the country's 18 provinces to hold referendums to merge themselves into larger federal regions with a measure of self-government. All 138 lawmakers present approved the law - in a vote broadcast live on state television - giving the bill's supporters the barest possible majority of the total 275 members of the house. The reform has proved extremely controversial, with some leaders fearing that it could lead to the break-up of Iraq, but lawmakers have agreed that no province can begin the merger process for another 18 months.
Absentees included the two biggest Sunni blocs and two of the factions which make up the big Shia alliance - Moqtada Sadr's group and a smaller one called Al Fadhila - also boycotted the proceedings. Spokesmen for these groups later said they were totally opposed to the federal region's law. The Sunni group said they feared it heralded Iraq's fragmentation. Some Shia spokesmen said they believed it would have a negative impact on the political process and on hopes for national reconciliation. But Abdul aziz Hakim, the leader of the biggest Shia faction, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), described it as a blessed day.
Absentees included the two biggest Sunni blocs and two of the factions which make up the big Shia alliance - Moqtada Sadr's group and a smaller one called Al Fadhila - also boycotted the proceedings. Spokesmen for these groups later said they were totally opposed to the federal region's law. The Sunni group said they feared it heralded Iraq's fragmentation. Some Shia spokesmen said they believed it would have a negative impact on the political process and on hopes for national reconciliation. But Abdul aziz Hakim, the leader of the biggest Shia faction, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), described it as a blessed day.
Once the moratorium has passed, provinces seeking to merge with neighbouring areas can trigger a referendum at the request of a third of legislators in the provincial council or a tenth of their electorate. If approved by a majority of voters in the provinces concerned, the mergers will create super-provinces with more autonomy from Baghdad. This, in turn, is expected to confirm the de facto self-rule already enjoyed by the Kurdish north and lead to a new Shiite homeland in the oil-rich south. It also not clear what will happen to Baghdad under federal rule. The city's population is a volatile mix of Kurds, Shiite Arabs and Sunni Arabs and is already in the grip of a vicious sectarian conflict.
