Iraq’s parliament reconvened this month after a month long break and consequently there is some important shit going on in Iraq ‘behind our backs’ at the  moment (good — let the Iraqis sort their own shit out where they can).

The Provinces Law, which paves the way for provincial elections which have been fucked up because of the status of Kirkuk seems to be coming to a conclusion (belatedly).

The law specifies the system of government in Iraq, and if applied, a federal system may be established in the country with three separate regions, a call echoed by some Iraqi political parties. The draft law on provincial council elections proposes an open slate system, which gives voters influence on the position of the candidates placed on the party list and allows an individual voting system.

It is difficult to follow what the fuck is going on just now as regards this subject — however — this report has news which is welcome or not — depending on your weltanschauung:

The registration results suggest a silver lining: The U.N. says that of the 2.9 million people who showed up at registration centers, about 1.8 million of them were new voters from areas with substantial Sunni populations. The 2005 Sunni boycott essentially locked the sect out of the government, exacerbating tension with Shiites and Kurds who performed well in the polling.