BAGHDAD - Iraq's presidential council rejected a draft provincial elections law Wednesday and sent it back to parliament for reworking -- a major blow to U.S. hopes that the vote can be held this year.

The decision was likely to delay the elections because there would not be enough time to make needed preparations. U.S. officials have pushed hard for the polls, which had been due by Oct. 1, as a key step in repairing Iraq's sectarian divisions.

The announcement followed stinging criticism by President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, over the methods used to pass the law despite a Kurdish walkout to protest a secret ballot on a section dealing with the disputed city of Kirkuk.

The presidential council must ratify Iraqi laws. But Talabani and Vice President Abdul-Mahdi, a Shiite, rejected the election plan while Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi was abroad, deputy parliamentary speaker Khalid al-Attiyah told The Associated Press.

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