Iraq: Commission Bars Politicians, Parties from Spring Elections

Agence France Presse (AFP) reports that Iraq’s Independent Commission for Justice and Accountability has banned fourteen Iraqi politicians and parties from participating in the forthcoming March elections, signaling the government’s intent to “purge parties alleged to have been sponsored by diehard elements of the banned Baath party.”

Saleh al-Mutlak, head of the National Dialogue Front and perhaps the most prominent of the newly blacklisted politicians, denounced the ruling as “against the law and the Constitution.” He vowed to appeal the decision in federal court in order to procure a court-mandated override allowing full electoral participation, although AFP noted that it was not immediately clear how long that process would take.

The reaction from current Iraqi members of parliament was mixed. While some praised the announcement as a significant step toward erasing Saddam Hussein‘s residual influence within the political system, others saw it as a dangerous precedent. Mahmud Othman, an independent Kurdish MP, claimed the commission’s ruling would “harm efforts towards national reconciliation,” which he contends is key to further reducing political and sectarian instability.