The office of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has announced that parliamentary elections will be held on 6 March.

The elections were originally planned for January, but several factions in the Iraqi parliament spent months debating a new electoral law. One of the main issues was the division of seats between the three main population groups: the Shiites, Sunnis and the Kurds. On Sunday, a broadly-supported compromise cleared the way for the selection of an election date.

Photo: Iraqi woman gives the Victory sign after voting in Iraqi elections (Hammorabi)