[JURIST] The Iraqi National Assembly [official website] voted on Tuesday to renew the country's state of emergency, in place since November 2004 [JURIST report], for an additional 30 days. The emergency measures are applicable throughout the country, except for the northern autonomous Kurdish region. After a month long summer recess, 180 out of the 275-member parliament voted 161-19 to extend the measures. Several lawmakers raised doubts about the validity of the vote, questioning the required parliamentary procedures as outlined in the 2005 national constitution [PDF text].

The emergency measures call for a civilian curfew and a total ban on the carrying of arms. In addition, the government has authorization to issue any military orders to enforce security in rebel territories and make arrests without warrants when it deems them necessary. AP has more. VOI has local coverage.