The Iraqi parliament passed a provincial elections law Tuesday despite
a walkout by Kurdish lawmakers over the details regarding the disputed
oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Khalid al-Attiya said it is unlikely any provincial elections will be held this year considering the Kurdish lawmakers' protests.
Kurds make up one of Iraq's three main groups in parliament.
Kurdish members of parliament have called for a referendum to determine who controls Kirkuk.
Other lawmakers have suggested a power-sharing agreement between the city's Arab, Turkmen and Kurdish residents - a plan that would hand more power to regions and lessen the oversight of the federal government in Baghdad.
Separately in Kirkuk, police say gunmen shot and killed a Kurdish journalist late Monday in front of his home.
Police say no one has claimed responsibility for the death of Soran Mama Hama.
The 23-year-old journalist worked for the Kurdish-language Levin magazine.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says some 130 reporters and 50 media support workers have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Khalid al-Attiya said it is unlikely any provincial elections will be held this year considering the Kurdish lawmakers' protests.
Kurds make up one of Iraq's three main groups in parliament.
Kurdish members of parliament have called for a referendum to determine who controls Kirkuk.
Other lawmakers have suggested a power-sharing agreement between the city's Arab, Turkmen and Kurdish residents - a plan that would hand more power to regions and lessen the oversight of the federal government in Baghdad.
Separately in Kirkuk, police say gunmen shot and killed a Kurdish journalist late Monday in front of his home.
Police say no one has claimed responsibility for the death of Soran Mama Hama.
The 23-year-old journalist worked for the Kurdish-language Levin magazine.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says some 130 reporters and 50 media support workers have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
