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| Iraq reverses Baath election bans | |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| Iraq has lifted a ban on nearly 500 election candidates barred from the March election for alleged links to the late Saddam Hussein's Baathist party. | Iraq has lifted a ban on nearly 500 election candidates barred from the March election for alleged links to the late Saddam Hussein's Baathist party. |
| The ban was lifted by an appeals panel on candidates listed by the post-Saddam Justice and Accountability Committee, election officials said. | |
| Correspondents say the ban was seen by the once-dominant Sunni minority as a tactic to marginalise them. | Correspondents say the ban was seen by the once-dominant Sunni minority as a tactic to marginalise them. |
| Restrictions on former Baathists have been eased in recent years. | Restrictions on former Baathists have been eased in recent years. |
| Iraqi President Jalal Talabani asked for the ban to be lifted. | Iraqi President Jalal Talabani asked for the ban to be lifted. |
| Among those reported to have been barred were several prominent Sunni politicians, promoting accusations by their supporters of sectarian bias by the Shia-dominated authorities. | Among those reported to have been barred were several prominent Sunni politicians, promoting accusations by their supporters of sectarian bias by the Shia-dominated authorities. |
| Baathism is a form of secular Arab nationalism and was the ideology espoused by Saddam Hussein when he came to power. | Baathism is a form of secular Arab nationalism and was the ideology espoused by Saddam Hussein when he came to power. |
| The list of banned candidates included some Shia figures and others with criminal records. | |
| "The appeals panel decided to allow the banned candidates to participate in the next election and decided to postpone looking into the case until after the election," said Hamdiya al-Husseini, a member of the Independent High Electoral Commission. |