Baghdad , Iraq ( CNN ) -- The Kurdish bloc in the Iraqi parliament intends to boycott the vote on a proposed election law if the oil-rich province of Kirkuk is banned from voting in next year 's national elections , two Kurdish lawmakers said . A vote may be held Thursday on a proposal that would govern the elections , now set for January 16 , legislators Mahmoud Othman and Abdul Bari al-Zebari said on Wednesday . Kirkuk , north of Baghdad , was excluded from provincial elections last January . Kurds displaced under Saddam Hussein 's rule settled on land they say is rightfully theirs . However , Arab and Turkmen residents claim many more Kurds have moved into Kirkuk than were displaced , and that allowing them to vote would create an unfair advantage . Without the Kurdish lawmakers there will be no quorum , thereby blocking the vote , Sunni lawmaker Salim al-Jabouri , a member of the small Sunni political bloc , the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue , told CNN . Before conducting balloting next year , Iraq needs an election law that lays out basic rules . If one is not adopted , the government may have to either reschedule the election or rely on the law used in the 2005 national elections , officials say . Lawmakers failed to reach agreement on the issue a week ago . The other contentious election issue is that of open lists versus closed lists on ballots . Open lists would name candidates and their parties ; closed lists would name only parties . Existing law , used in the 2005 election , mandates a closed list . President Jalal Talabani , Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other political leaders -- members of the Political Council for National Security -- reached a tentative agreement on the draft bill Tuesday evening . Talabani 's office released no details on the content . The constitutional deadline for the elections is January 31 . The election commission needs at least 90 days after passage of the law to carry out elections , which U.S. and Iraqi government officials call a vital step in Iraqi efforts to solidify a democratic system in the post-Saddam Hussein era . CNN 's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report .
A tie would lead to no results , blocking a vote , a spokesman says . It was excluded from provincial elections last January . The issue of open lists versus closed lists on ballots is also contentious .