A senior Iraqi official has warned that the country's amended electoral law could face further vetoes as Sunni factions say the changes do not address their concerns.

Former Iraqi national security adviser, Muwaffaq al-Rubaie told Press TV on Monday that "Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi is likely veto the law for a second time."

Hashimi vetoed the law last Wednesday, demanding a greater say for minorities and Iraqis living abroad, most of whom are Sunni.

The amendment approved on Monday does not address the concerns raised by Hashimi's bloc. It does increase the number of parliamentary seats alloted to the autonomous Kurdish region compared to last week's bill, but reduces the seats slotted for Sunni areas.

The country's three-member presidential council, composed of President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and Vice Presidents Hashemi and Adel Abdel Mehdi, has 15 days to veto the new text.

Iraq's electoral commission has repeatedly warned that delays over the voting law will leave too little time to complete preparations for the election.

Optimally, the law would be in place 90 days before a ballot. The election is scheduled for mid-January.

SB/JG/MMN