The Iraqi Parliament approved the Third Amendment Law for parliamentary elections and provincial councils. This, after intense discussions and loud objections that continued until Monday morning, and in the absence of most independent deputies, Parliament was able to vote on the amendments to the House of Representatives, provincial and district elections law in accordance with the “Saint Lego” law, which was adopted for the first time in the country in 2014. Where the amendments included several items, most notably the abolition of multiple constituencies and the approval of one constituency (the governorate is one constituency), as well as conditions related to the eligibility of the candidate for the parliamentary elections, and setting the date for the provincial elections this year, provided that it does not exceed the date of 12/20/2023. It also stipulated that the irregular provincial council elections in a region be held on one day throughout the country. However, this issue of “one constituency” had previously raised, and in yesterday’s session, sharp criticism by independent deputies, who saw that this item was specifically designed to serve the major political blocs, and to exclude small opposition or independent votes and parties. The session witnessed great chaos due to the objection of most of the independent deputies, who tried to obstruct the vote, after the State Administration Coalition, which represents the coordination framework, the Sunni blocs and the Kurdish blocs, specifically the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union, managed to secure a quorum. Verbal altercations and stampedes took place inside the dome of the parliament, prompting the speaker of parliament to ask the security men and the protection of the parliament to remove the protesters by force. Saint-Léguet’s law is named after its creator, the French mathematician André Saint-Léguet, in 1912. This mechanism is usually used in the distribution of votes in countries that follow the proportional system in dividing the votes of coalitions, which gives small parties an opportunity to win, as the electoral divider relied on the number 1,4. However, the law or amendment adopted in Iraq is based on No. 1.9 instead of 1.4, which exacerbates the fortunes of major political parties and alliances at the expense of independents.
The Iraqi Parliament approved the Third Amendment Law for parliamentary elections and provincial councils.
This, after intense discussions and loud objections that continued until Monday morning, and in the absence of most independent deputies, Parliament was able to vote on the amendments to the House of Representatives, provincial and district elections law in accordance with the “Saint Lego” law, which was adopted for the first time in the country in 2014.
Where the amendments included several items, most notably the abolition of multiple constituencies and the approval of one constituency (the governorate is one constituency), as well as conditions related to the eligibility of the candidate for the parliamentary elections, and setting the date for the provincial elections this year, provided that it does not exceed the date of 12/20/2023.
It also stipulated that the irregular provincial council elections in a region be held on one day throughout the country.
However, this issue of “one constituency” had previously raised, and in yesterday’s session, sharp criticism by independent deputies, who saw that this item was specifically designed to serve the major political blocs, and to exclude small opposition or independent votes and parties.
The session witnessed great chaos due to the objection of most of the independent deputies, who tried to obstruct the vote, after the State Administration Coalition, which represents the coordination framework, the Sunni blocs and the Kurdish blocs, specifically the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union, managed to secure a quorum.
Verbal altercations and stampedes took place inside the dome of the parliament, prompting the speaker of parliament to ask the security men and the protection of the parliament to remove the protesters by force.
Saint-Léguet’s law is named after its creator, the French mathematician André Saint-Léguet, in 1912.
This mechanism is usually used in the distribution of votes in countries that follow the proportional system in dividing the votes of coalitions, which gives small parties an opportunity to win, as the electoral divider relied on the number 1,4.
However, the law or amendment adopted in Iraq is based on No. 1.9 instead of 1.4, which exacerbates the fortunes of major political parties and alliances at the expense of independents.
