The war-torn nation's electoral commission said it was stopping work at least for the time being, meaning that the ballot, the second national poll since the 2003 fall of dictator Saddam Hussein, is likely to be delayed.

The latest vote setback will worry Washington whose ambassador to Baghdad has already warned that further hold-ups could derail a scheduled withdrawal of combat troops by August next year, ahead of a complete military exit in 2011.

The State Department expressed disappointment and urged Iraqi leaders to clear up concerns in order for polls to go ahead.

"We are disappointed at these developments related to (the) elections law," spokesman Ian Kelly said.

"We urge Iraqi leaders and parliament to take quick action to (resolve) any outstanding concerns that have been expressed and this is so elections can go forward," he added.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon too called for parliament to move swiftly to pass the necessary legislation.

"The secretary general takes note of the presidency council's decision to veto the Iraqi electoral law," his spokesman Farhan Haq said.

"He hopes that the council of representatives (parliament) will move swiftly to ensure that the law is adopted and the election can go forward."

Iraq's presidential council, composed of President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and two vice presidents, one Sunni Arab and one Shiite, has demanded a greater say in the election for minorities and for nationals living abroad.

The insistence on securing the relevant change in the law governing the vote led Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi to veto the legislation.

"On November 15, I sent a letter to parliament asking for the law to be amended. Parliament said I could veto the contested first article (of the law), which is what I have done today," Hashemi told reporters.

Iraq's Sunni Arab community, which was dominant before the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam six years ago, puts the number of nationals abroad at around four million.

"The modification aims to make the representation of Iraqis abroad fairer," said Hashemi. "It's not only a matter of those displaced to neighbouring countries but of all Iraqis of all confessions and religions who live abroad."

Under the constitution, any member of the presidential council can veto a proposed law a maximum of two times before the bill is returned to parliament for approval by a vote of at least 60 percent of MPs.

Parliament must now reopen debate on the bill and the electoral commission believes there is too little time to complete preparations by the scheduled mid-January polling date.

"The electoral commission is suspending all work, including registration of lists of candidates and printing of voting papers, until the adoption of an electoral law," the commission's administration chief Qassim Abudi said.

"The situation is very difficult and will certainly delay the election."

But Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki swiftly hit out at Hashemi's actions and urged the election organisers to continue their preparations "without any delay."

The veto "represents a dangerous threat to the political process and democracy" Maliki said.

MPs passed the electoral law for the contest earlier this month after weeks of wrangling.

But Talabani said on Monday that he wants parliament to revise it so that the number of seats set aside for minorities, including Christians, and Iraqi expatriates is tripled, from five to 15 percent.

The current five percent is a reduction on the 15 percent level that governed Iraq's December 2005 general election, the first to take place after the invasion.

The threat of violence around the election is a major concern for the government and US forces.

The top US officer in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, warned of more trouble in the run-up to the vote and said he could yet ask Washington to alter the plan to have all combat troops out by August next year.

"We believe that there will be an attempt to conduct more attacks between now and the election," he said, noting that he has up until April or May next year to decide "if we have to defer from the August 31 date that the president has set."

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