BAGHDAD - IraqÂ’s cabinet has agreed a draft law on provincial elections that bans any party from the polls if they have militias, officials said on Sunday, a move that could inflame tensions with Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said the draft had set Oct. 1 as the election date. The law would be given to parliament for approval “very soon”, he told Reuters after a cabinet meeting.
Zebari said Sadr was not the target of the provision on militias in the draft law, adding it applied to all parties. “It’s absolutely crystal clear. It says any parties that enter this election should not have or should not retain any paramilitaries or militias operating outside the law,” he said.
| No, course not, sure thing, he's not a target, nope, uh-unh ... |
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told a news conference that parliament would have 90 days to pass the law. |