Government, minister have no jurisdiction to postpone census- politician

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A postponement of the census is not in the hands of the government or the planning minister, a leading figure in the Kurdistan Alliance (KA) said on Monday, arguing that it requires an amendment to the article pertaining to the census in the 2009 budget. “This would require concerned bodies to go back to the Parliament to amend the article pertaining to the census in the 2009 budget. The Federal Budget Law obliges the government to conduct a census in 2009,” Saadi al-Barjagy told Iraqi News. On Sunday (Aug. 16), the Iraqi minister of planning and development cooperation, Ali Baban, said that the census, scheduled to be carried out on October 24, will be postponed until further notice following reservations from political blocs in Ninewa and Kirkuk. SS (P) 1