Iraqi Parliament Delays Voting on Election Date

On Saturday, the Iraqi Parliament failed to approve the government's proposed date for elections on May 12, 2018. According to Reuters, Kurdish and Sunni politicians in Parliament have called for the elections to be postponed to allow for the return of thousands displaced by the war. Iraqi Shiite politicians, including Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, emphasize the need to hold elections on the scheduled date of May 12, stating that delaying the elections would be unconstitutional. Salim al-Jabouri, the Sunni Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, expressed hope that Parliament could set a definitive election date on Monday. Haider al-Abadi, buoyed by his increased popularity among Iraq's Shiite majority following his leadership during the three-year war against ISIS, intends to run for Prime Minister again. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad stated on Thursday that 'delaying the elections would set a dangerous precedent, be unconstitutional, and harm Iraq's long-term democratic development.' The U.S. government has somewhat accepted al-Abadi's actions to oust Kurdish forces from the oil-rich Kirkuk region in October, although the Kurds are considered older allies of the U.S. As a result of the Iraqi government's seizure of these areas with the help of Iran-backed Shiite militias, tens of thousands of Kurdish families have been displaced. The United Nations reports that the total number of internally displaced persons in Iraq is about 2.6 million, most of whom are Sunni Arabs who previously lived in areas controlled by ISIS. According to a power-sharing system among Iraq's ethnic and religious minorities established after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the Prime Minister's position is always held by a Shiite politician, while the largely ceremonial presidency is given to a Kurdish politician and the Parliament's leadership is elected from among Sunni members. Using a report from Reuters; Sh.R./M.A.