60 days to hold referendum on SOFA after law is passed-IHEC

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The chairman of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) on Wednesday said that 60 days are required to hold the referendum on the security agreement with the United States after a law pertaining to the pact is passed. “Holding elections or a referendum requires the commission to ensure the presence of three significant elements: the setting of a date, the allocation of a budget and the passage of a law…,” Faraj al-Haidari told IraqiNews.com news agency. “Thus far, the commission has not been officially informed about anything related to the referendum budget,” Haidari noted. In previous statements, Haidari said that he had submitted a letter to the Iraqi Parliament’s presidency calling for a law that requires a referendum on the security agreement with the United States. A request to allocate a budget for this purpose has also been made. The chairman pointed out that a budget of $90 million U.S. dollars is enough to fund the referendum. On November 27, 2008, the Iraqi Council of Representatives passed a security agreement with the United States, known as the Status-of-Forces Agreement, or SOFA, just 10 days after the Iraqi cabinet approved it with an overwhelming majority. The agreement stipulated that a public referendum should be held in July 2009. SS (S) 1