New lists emerge: 40 candidates banned from Iraqi election

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) decided on Tuesday to uphold the disqualification of 40 candidates from the upcoming parliamentary elections.

According to a document by the Board of Commissioners, 39 candidates were excluded after their appeals were rejected, due to their inclusion in procedures by the National Commission for Accountability and Justice, which vets individuals for ties to the former regime.

In addition, the Commission disqualified Saja al-Bayati, a candidate from the “Tafawuq” (Supremacy) Alliance in Saladin province, for “violating” the candidates’ code of conduct, following a formal complaint filed by lawmaker Mustafa Sanad.

Since the start of the registration period, IHEC has released multiple disqualification lists, barring hundreds of candidates for various reasons, including their inclusion under the Accountability and Justice Law, involvement in criminal cases, or other legal violations.

Emad Jameel, head of IHEC’s media team, previously stated that the total number of disqualified candidates had reached 751 as of the latest tally issued by the Board of Commissioners.

The parliamentary elections are set to take place on November 11, while the official campaign period will begin shortly before the vote.