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Iraq reverses Baath election bans Iraq reverses Baath election bans
(about 1 hour 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 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. The ban was lifted by an appeals panel on candidates listed last month 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 repeal of the ban has been welcomed by Sunni politicians who felt it targeted 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.
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.
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."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.
She said successful candidates on the list would not be able to assume office until the appeals panel had given a final ruling on their cases.
Reconciliation concerns
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani had asked for the ban to be lifted, saying the commission's decision might not have been legal as it was not approved by parliament.
Although the list included candidates from across the sectarian divide, the decision will be seen primarily as a victory for Sunni politicians, who had felt disproportionately targeted by the ban, says the BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse in Baghdad.
Many in the once-dominant Sunni minority had regarded the barring of their candidates as a tactic to marginalise them.
A spokesman for prominent Sunni politician Saleh al-Mutlaq told the BBC he welcomed the ruling.
But there are those in Iraq who believe strongly that there is no place in public life for people with ties to the now-outlawed Baath party, through which Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq, says our correspondent.
The 7 March general election is regarded as a crucial test for Iraq's national reconciliation process ahead of a planned US military withdrawal in stages.
Many Sunni Arabs boycotted the last parliamentary election in 2005.
Baathism is a form of secular Arab nationalism and was the ideology espoused by Saddam Hussein when he came to power.