Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) will bar a new list of candidates from contesting the November 11 parliamentary elections, a source told Shafaq News on Saturday.

According to the source, the list, expected to be released soon, will include several contenders from major political blocs, among them businessmen and prominent political figures.

The exclusions, he explained, are based on violations of the “good conduct” condition, submission of forged academic credentials, and other legal infractions.

Since nominations opened, the IHEC has disqualified more than 750 contenders. Some were removed under Iraq’s Accountability and Justice Law, while others faced exclusion for criminal convictions or additional legal issues. At the same time, dozens of previously barred candidates have been reinstated following appeals and reviews by the relevant authorities.

On Wednesday, a commission ruling disqualified Taha al-Luhaibi, a candidate for the Taqadum Alliance, for “publicly insulting the Iraqi armed forces” and using “sectarian rhetoric inciting hatred and division among Iraqis.”

Read more: Elections on schedule, legitimacy in doubt: Iraq heads toward November vote