BAGHDAD:Iraq today moved towards finalising a date for its general election in January, a vote crucial to consolidating the war-torn nation’s fledgling democracy and ensuring a complete US military exit.

Yesterday, the MPs finally passed the electoral law that will govern the contest, Iraq’s second national polls since the American-led invasion that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein six years ago, after weeks of wrangling.

The decision was praised by US President Barack Obama and UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who said the upcoming vote was key to maintaining Iraq’s stability and helping its people move towards lasting peace and national reconciliation. The environment in which the general election takes place is likely to be radically different from that of the previous national ballot in December 2005.

Sectarian strife between the country’s Shiite and Sunni communities was then rising and at its peak in 2006 led to an average of 63 people being killed each day, compared with less than 10 deaths per day so far this year.

Christopher Hill, the US ambassador to Baghdad, said January 23 was the probable date for the election and that the planned US troop withdrawal can go ahead as scheduled now that the electoral law is in place.

“We’re good to go on a January date,” he told reporters in a conference call from the Iraqi capital last evening.

“The concern of course was had these deliberations gone on, then new decisions would have had to be made about the (military) drawdown.” There are currently 117,000 American soldiers in Iraq. All combat troops are due to leave the country by August 2010 ahead of a complete military pullout by the end of 2011.

The election was originally billed for January 16 but delays on whether an open or closed voting system would be used and working out how the ballot would proceed in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk means this is now

unlikely.

Qassim al-Abboudi, head of the Independent High Electoral Commission’s (IHEC) legal office, told AFP today that Iraq’s presidential council would soon

decide the election date.

Under the constitution the vote must take place no later than January 31. The ballot will also differ from 2005 in that it is set to be fought on political rather than sectarian lines, ushering in a much altered parliament.

Electors, who under an open voting system will choose either a single named candidate — which favours high profile politicians — or a party, will also have much more choice on their ballot paper than last time round.

Two Shiite coalitions, including the State of Law grouping headed by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, two Sunni blocs, two secular lists and three Kurdish groups make up the main contenders.

However a total of 296 parties are set to campaign, compared with just 12 party lists who won seats in 2005.