Candidates barred from Iraq polls for Baath Party links

By Ali Jawad and Ali Mohamed

BAGHDAD

A total of 374 would-be candidates will be excluded from Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary polls due to previous associations with the now-defunct Baath Party, according to Iraq’s Justice and Accountability Commission.

In a Monday statement, the commission said it had finished vetting the names of 7,367 potential candidates, 374 of whom had been found to have links with the outlawed party, which ruled Iraq under deposed President Saddam Hussein.

Affiliated with Iraq’s parliament, the commission is tasked with preventing former Baath Party leaders -- and former members of the Hussein regime -- from obtaining government posts.

“The 374 candidates excluded from the election can appeal the decision at Iraq’s Court of Cassation,” a commission source told Anadolu Agency anonymously due to restrictions on speaking to media.

Passed in 2006, Iraq’s “de-Baathification” law prohibits former members of the party and regime from holding leading positions, including parliamentary seats.

According to official figures, 24 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in May 12 parliamentary polls.