Iraq Reaches Election Compromise

Iraqi lawmakers made a last-minute save Sunday night to repair the chance for the country's first national elections since 2005. Sectarian divides between Iraq's Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish groups have threatened the multiple iterations of the agreement, which broke down various times over the weekend and threaten the U.S.’s ability to withdraw troops. A November 8 deal on the election law has already fallen through, and the current treaty is tentative as well. Iraq's original election law is said to under-represent Sunnis who have fled the country, and Iraqi lawmakers were angling for the most number of seats in Parliament. American and U.N. officials have stepped in to help broker a compromise, fearing that a delay would interfere with U.S. plans to withdraw troops from the country by August 2010.