Iraq pushes poll date to March 7th next year

A Shiite woman casts her vote during Iraq's  provincial elections in January 2009. Iraq  has pushed next year's general election date  to March 7th, after an earlier date of  March 6th.

Iraq has pushed next year's general election date to March 7th, after an earlier date of March 6th. The new date was announced a few hours after a series of car bombs ripped through Baghdad.

The presidential council didn't clarify the reason for the last-minute change. But an adviser to the parliament of Iraq's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan says Kurds have rejected the March 6th date, because it coincides with the anniversary of a 1975 treaty that marginalized them. March 7th comes after a constitutional deadline for the poll. But it's still just before Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's mandate expires. This has reduced the risk of a political vacuum. And officials say the delay will not affect the withdrawal of US troops.