SOFA ref. should be approved by majority of voters, not electorate – expert

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A legal expert said on Friday that a successful referendum over the security agreement signed between Iraq and the United States should be approved by the majority of voters, not the majority of electorate. “To conduct a referendum is a matter that is settled by virtue of article 131 of the Iraqi constitution. There is no authority for three provinces to reverse such a referendum,” Tareq Harb told IraqiNews.com news agency. “If one million voters went to the ballots and 501,000 of voted in favor of the agreement, then this would mean the referendum was positive,” he added. A plebiscite is scheduled to be held late next June over the status-of-forces agreement, or SOFA, which was signed by Iraq and the United States late last year. AmR (P) 1