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| Iraq |
| Iraqi court to rule on eligibility of 500 candidates |
| 2010-02-07 |
| Iraq's leaders have told a panel of seven judges to issue a final ruling on 500 candidates who seek to run in next month's general elections. On Wednesday, the electoral commission said the judges had ruled that the candidates can stand in the March 7 polls. The judges decided to reinstate the candidates, who had been disqualified after being accused of having connections with Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime, saying they would examine their files after the polls and would eliminate them if they were found to be Baathists. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki then decided to convene parliament to debate on Sunday what his government considers an "illegal" decision, AFP reported . A statement from Maliki's office on Saturday said leaders had "agreed on the need to resolve the issue of those barred (from the elections) according to the law." "If the appeals court says soon that they will settle the matter, then there is no need for the parliament session," al- adviser Maliki Yasin Majeed told The Associated Press on Saturday. The Baath Party has been outlawed in Iraq. On Saturday, al-Maliki met with Parliament Speaker Ayad al-Sammaraie, Chief Justice Madhat al-Mahmood, and other government officials to discuss the controversy. Majeed said all agreed that the dispute must be settled before the campaign season officially begins on February 12. Some Sunni leaders have threatened to boycott the election if the ballot purge stands. That, in turn, risks throwing the election into chaos and its results in doubt. The election, which was originally scheduled to be held in January, will be the last major election in which the US military helps with security. |
| Posted by:Fred |