Iraq has taken a major step toward holding early elections by ratifying an election law that addresses some demands of anti-government protesters who blamed the old system for helping perpetuate a dysfunctional status quo. The legislation makes two significant changes. Under the new “single non-transferrable vote” system, seats in Parliament will be awarded to the candidates who win the greatest number of votes — in contrast to the old system, in which candidates ran on electoral lists and parties could transfer votes among list members, which empowers party bosses. Additionally, provinces will now be sub-divided into several smaller electoral districts instead of one […]