Breaking the impasse in parliament, however, will not be easy. Sectarian paranoia runs as deep there as it does on Iraqi streets, and the outcome of provincial elections could bring significant, and perhaps permanent, changes to the current power structure. For example, Kurdish politicians angrily walked out of parliament last week in response to a provision attached to the election legislation that would have provided for a "provincial council" in Kirkuk to include pre-determined numbers of Kurds, Sunnis, and Turkmen. Control of the city is a particularly sensitive subject for Kurds, who were driven out under Saddam Hussein's "Arabization" program that sought to guarantee Sunni control over nearby oil fields. Kurds have flooded back into the city since the 2003 invasion, much to the displeasure of Sunni and Turkmen residents.

Other issues to be sorted out before elections can be held include: whether to pass a provision requiring that provincial councils be 25 percent female; whether religious imagery will be permitted on campaign materials; whether to allow voters to vote for individual candidates or only for political parties.

Photo used under a Creative Commons license from James Gordon.