Iraqi Politicians At Work -- See How They Make The Sausages

The first Iraqi parliament session in March 2006.

Iraqis Fail to Agree on Provincial Elections -- New York Times

BAGHDAD — Iraqi political leaders met Sunday to try to reach a deal that would allow provincial elections to proceed, but they again failed to agree, further dimming prospects that the elections would be held this year.

The talks took place on a day of bombings across Baghdad, including an exploding truck that killed 12 civilians.

Representatives from the various Iraqi political blocs gathered at the Baghdad residence of Massoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan Regional Government, to try to work out a compromise on the election law. Despite a long afternoon of talks after a flurry of meetings on Saturday, a consensus was not reached by Sunday night.

“The Tawafiq front is not happy or satisfied about these negotiations, because they did not reach an agreement,” said Salim al-Jabouri, a member of Tawafiq, the largest Sunni bloc in Parliament.

The negotiations were to resume on Monday morning.

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More News On Iraqi Politics

Iraqis see compromise on Kirkuk standoff -- International Herald Tribune
Elections Bill in Iraq Stalls On Kirkuk -- Washington Post
Iraq lawmakers again fail to approve election law -- L.A. Times
Iraqi Politicians Interviewed on Kirkuk Issue, Government Stance -- iStockAnalyst
Iraqi parliament fails to hold urgent session on provincial election bill -- China View
A Major Political Test for Iraq - New York Times editorial
Building on Progress in Iraq - Biddle, O'Hanlon & Pollack, Foreign Affairs opinion
Variety of Factors Contribute to Progress in Iraq, General Says -- Defense Link News

My Comment: The Main Stream Media is talking and editorializing doom and gloom .... I have a different point of view. The Iraqi political establishment will work this all out. Compromises will be reached after a great deal of discussion, debate, and theatrics. The reason why is very simple .... there is too much at stake right now. The oil money, security, threats from fundamentalists and Iran, the possibility and desire of Iraqis to be the Dubai of the North .... the politicians are aware of this .... and Iraq is now a free political society. In the end of this long political process, the Provincial elections will still take place and they will be acclaimed as a success.