BAGHDAD (AP) – Iraqi lawmakers approved plans Sunday to hold parliament elections early next year that are seen as an important step toward political reconciliation and easing the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

The vote – during an emergency session convened just before a midnight deadline – followed marathon talks by political leaders to break an impasse over balloting provisions that would satisfy the nation’s rival groups.

A failure to pass new elections rules on Sunday would have forced Iraqi to revert to those used in its last parliament election in 2005 and likely throw the political process into a tailspin.

Plans for the election had been mired for weeks over al-Hashemi’s demands for a greater political voice for minority Sunnis and the distribution of seats in Iraq’s expanded 325-seat parliament.

The election is scheduled for Jan. 16, but a delay of a month or more now appears likely. A longer postponement could have complicated the withdrawal timetable for U.S. forces, which are scheduled to end combat missions in August.