Haven't seen this posted, but pretty
BIG news!!
(I believe registration required)
This was concerning when the news was published yesterday (?), so it's nice to see the UN show some strength. Congrats to the UN!
"Iraq's national assembly backed down today from controversial and possibly illegal plans to change the counting method for next week's referendum.
After a brief debate, politicians voted by 119 to 28 to restore the original rules for the referendum after UN lawyers warned Iraqi leaders that the last-minute changes fell short of international standards."
At least this shows a slight understanding of democracy in Iraq. Obviously Delay didn't get to 'em!
In order to make sure of victory, Kurds and Shias changed the electoral law at the weekend so that such a veto would require two-thirds of the registered voters in the three provinces rather than just two-thirds of those who vote. They also ruled that, for the constitution to pass, only two-thirds of those who vote rather than those who are registered would be sufficient.
This may completely change the outcome of the vote for the constitution!!