Iraq: About 100 candidates excluded from the local elections on charges of being linked to the “Baat

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[size=52]Iraq: About 100 candidates excluded from the local elections on charges of being linked to the “Baath Party”[/size]

[size=45]Iraqi political sources in the capital, Baghdad, confirmed to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that about 100 candidates have been excluded from the local elections scheduled for next December, after they were included in procedures to uproot the banned Iraqi “Baath Party.”[/size]
[size=45]The measure comes in contradiction to promises made by Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, to transfer the procedures of the “Accountability and Justice” Commission, related to excluding members of the “Baath Party” from participating in political and governmental life, to the judiciary, so that the file is judicial, far from any political side, which is what the political forces are requesting. Sunni Arab News, which believes that the file has been used politically to a large extent.[/size]
[size=45]Today, Thursday, two Iraqi officials, one of whom is a member of the current parliament, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that about 100 candidates out of 6,000 candidates for the local elections for provincial councils were excluded from running because their names were received from the “Accountability and Justice” Commission, given that most of them were Members of the Baath Party, along with others who worked in sensitive security institutions during the regime of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.[/size]
[size=45]One of the officials, requesting anonymity, confirmed that among those completely excluded was the current governor of Nineveh, Najm al-Jubouri, and Khazal al-Awadi, a former member of the Babylon Provincial Council, was also excluded from the nomination race, and Turhan Abdul Rahman, a prominent leader of the Turkmen Front in Kirkuk.[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that the excluded candidates are from different blocs, including blocs from the “coordination framework,” noting that the issue has nothing to do with the current competition that began early between the various political blocs and forces, approximately two and a half months before the elections.[/size]
[size=45]The eradication law was approved after the American invasion of Iraq in 2005, and was stipulated in the Iraqi constitution. Its impact resulted in the dismissal of tens of thousands of Iraqis from their jobs, the confiscation of the property of thousands of others, and the referral of a department to the judiciary. However, various political blocs continue to demand new activations in it and a guarantee of its effectiveness in the scheduled local elections. It will be held next December, with the aim of what it calls the arrival of the Baathists in Parliament.[/size]
[size=45]The De-Baathification Commission, whose name was changed to the Accountability and Justice Commission, faces widespread accusations of selectivity in issuing exclusion or dismissal rulings from official institutions and departments, in response to pressure from influential forces at the political level.[/size]
[size=45]Iraq is scheduled to hold local elections on December 18, and these will be the first local elections held in Iraq since April 2013.[/size]
[size=45]The elected provincial councils are responsible for selecting the governor and the governorate’s executive officials, and they have the powers of dismissal, appointment, and approval of the project plan according to the financial budget allocated to the governorate by the central government in Baghdad, in accordance with the Iraqi constitution.[/size]
[size=45]Ruling out the existence of a racist motive
. Commenting on the exclusion of the new candidates, a member of the Iraqi Civil Movement, Ahmed Al-Saadi, told Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, “The procedures that included the exclusion do not carry any sectarian or racist motive, since the names have an archive confirming work with the Baath Party, which is Legal action.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “We need a body to eradicate corruption, and exclude those involved in corruption and plundering deals or those involved in crimes and legal violations. Officials who previously held senior positions and are suspected of corruption must also be excluded,” considering that this measure will increase the desire of Iraqis to participate in the campaign. Voting on election day.[/size]
[size=45]According to data from the Iraqi Election Commission, more than 23 million citizens are entitled to cast their votes in the Iraqi provincial council elections, including more than 10 million people who have updated their electoral records so far.[/size]
[size=45]According to the Commission, 296 political parties organized into 50 alliances will participate in the elections, and candidates are competing for 275 seats, the total number of Iraqi provincial council seats, in general, 75 of which have been allocated within a quota for women and 10 seats for ethnic and religious minorities.[/size]
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