Minorities’ quota-system is religious based – MP

Talafar-Qaeda ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: The secretary general of the Assyrian Patriotic Party on Monday said that his party is not interested in the minorities’ quota-system enacted today by the Iraqi Parliament through amending the provincial elections law, attributing his position to the point that the system relies on religion rather than race. “This system categorized Christians as a religion, not a race,” Amanoael Khoshaba told IraqiNews.com. “We object to considering us a minority in Iraq,” he said. Earlier, Iraqi legislatures had to choose among three options, but 106 of them out of 150 who attended the parliament’s voting session voted for one seat for minorities (including Christians) at each of the councils of Baghdad, Ninewa, and Basra provinces. MH (P)/SR 1