Iraq election set for January 21 after new law passed

By Muhanad Mohammed

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqis will vote in a general election on January 21 now that parliament has passed a law needed for a vote to take place, the head of the country's electoral commission said on Monday.

The ballot was originally set for January 16, but electoral authorities said the delay in passing the law had made it impossible to organize by then. Parliament ended weeks of disagreement about the fate of the disputed city of Kirkuk and passed the electoral law on Sunday.

Faraj al-Haidari, head of the electoral commission, told Reuters that the new date of January 21 needed to be approved by a presidency council of President Jalal Talabani and two vice-presidents.

"I don't think that date will change," he said.

Prolonged arguing over the law had cast doubt on the U.S. military's plans to end combat operations in Iraq by August 31, 2010, ahead of a full withdrawal by the end of 2011.

The election law had been held up by disagreement over how to conduct the vote in Kirkuk, a northern city that is surrounded by oilfields.

Investor sentiment was bolstered by parliament's passage of the ballot law, but the failure to resolve the issue of Kirkuk may cause massive headaches in the long run.