“There are lists containing 404 names who were requested to be brought before the [Accountability and Justice] Commission because they have criminal records related to accountability and justice,” Imad Jamil, head of media for Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), told state media.
Passed in 2008, the Accountability and Justice Act governs the practice of de-Baathification, defined as the procedures to “intellectually, administratively, politically, culturally and economically dismantle the Baath party system in Iraqi society, state institutions, and civil society institutions."
The outlawed Baath party ruled Iraq from 1968 until 2003, when it was toppled and Hussein’s regime was brought to an end by the US-led invasion.
Jamil said that a decision regarding the exclusion of the candidates “will be issued by the commission in the coming days.”
Iraq will hold parliamentary elections on November 11. According to IHEC, over 850 candidates have registered to run.
Approximately 27 million citizens in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region will have the right to vote, but only those with biometric voting cards will be able to cast a ballot.
