The contentious national census that was scheduled to take place in Iraq on October 24 has been delayed again, this time until December 5, local media reported Tuesday.
Iraq had previously postponed the national census, which would map the ethnic and religious makeup of Iraq in broad terms, in 2007 due to a peak in sectarian violence, DPA reported.
The impending census, which was last conducted 23 years ago, has been blamed for rising tensions in areas like Kirkuk and Mosul, which are home to Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen.
Opponents of the census fear that its findings could be politicized, particularly if the survey determines that Kurds are the majority in Kirkuk, which has large oil fields.
Such a finding would allow Kurds to increase their allocated percentage of the federal budget under the constitution.
United States and Iraqi forces conducted a joint operation in Kirkuk this week to monitor allegations that Arab residents were being threatened by members of the Kurdish Kirkuk police in a bid to make them leave the city ahead of the census.
The governor of the northern province where Mosul is located, Ethel Nujaifi, has also called for the census to be delayed.
"We are calling on the Iraqi government to postpone the general census for the time being until the formation of an elected government has taken place, or else this will lead to the disruption of the province," Nujaifi said.
Iraq has been facing political gridlock for seven months, ever since Iraqis went to the polls to elect a new government. Many believe the census should not come before new leaders are in place.