Iraq's provincial election law in effect

BAGHDAD, March 20 (UPI) -- A member of Iraq's Presidency Council withdrew his objection to a law seeking provincial elections by October, allowing it to go in effect, the council said.

The legislation was passed in early February, rejected by the council on Feb. 27 then returned to lawmakers after Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi declared it unconstitutional.

Mehdi's turnaround came two days after he met with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, who visited Iraq urging more progress be made on political reconciliation, The Washington Post said Thursday.

U.S. officials said they thought the law -- partly intended to correct electoral distortions that gave Kurds and Shiites disproportionate power in some Sunni-dominated regions -- could theoretically help defuse the power of the Sunni insurgency, The New York Times said. Local council members were chosen in elections largely boycotted by Sunnis.

Laith Shubar, one of Mehdi's advisers, said the vice president withdrew his objections after receiving a promise from the Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashadani that lawmakers would discuss possibly amending the measure.

Iraqi lawmakers still need to fill vacancies on the election commission and approve an overall election law before the provincial elections can occur, the Times said.