Nearly 150 Iraqi candidates may be eliminated for Baath links

[Team Infidel]

BAGHDAD, Dec 4 (AFP) - Nearly 150 candidates for Iraq's December 15
legislative election could be barred from running due to their links to the
Baath party of former dictator Saddam Hussein, an electoral official said.

"The electoral law requires us to reject all candidates involved in
de-Baathification," an official from the electoral commission said,
referring to the process of rooting out the members of the former ruling
party.

"The commission met with the de-Baathification council and gave them a list
of candidates to check to see if any of them were affected," he said, adding
that the council had identified 150 possible candidates.

"We informed their political parties and gave them three days to respond,
either to change the candidate or get an exemption from the council," he
said.

So far, though, no parties have responded, and the commission member said
they have one more week.

"If at that point we have no response, the candidate will be eliminated," he
said.

On Tuesday, the commission will publish the list of nominations for each
party.