Iraqi court overturns ban on candidates as IHEC issues new exclusions
Shafaq News – Baghdad (updated at 22:52)
Iraq’s election judiciary on Monday overturned the disqualification of parliament member Sajad Salem, a candidate from the Alternative (al-Badeel) Coalition in Wasit province, ruling that the electoral commission’s decision to bar him from the upcoming polls lacked legal grounds.
The court found that Salem’s exclusion was based on allegations raised by the Popular Mobilization Forces’ (PMF) security directorate without a binding judicial verdict. Citing articles 19 and 20 of the commission’s law, the judiciary said there was no justification to prevent him from running.
The judiciary also cleared Azhar Imran Mohammed Said, a candidate for the State of Law coalition in Najaf, confirming she faced no final convictions related to corruption or crimes of moral turpitude. The court ordered the electoral commission to reinstate her candidacy.
Salem, who argued that his disqualification was based on an unsigned complaint accusing him of calling for the return of “dictatorship,” welcomed the decision. The rulings allow both candidates to run in the November 11 parliamentary elections, with campaigning set to begin October 8.
Meanwhile, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) released new lists excluding additional candidates, among them Yazan Mashaan al-Jubouri—barred for a second time—while reinstating others.
IHEC has disqualified more than 786 candidates so far, with insiders warning the total may exceed 1,000 once the vetting process is complete. Grounds cited include de-Baathification, criminal records, corruption allegations, and missing documentation.
