BAGHDAD: Iraq’s ballot process was thrown back into uncertainty Thursday after election officials asked the nation’s highest judicial authority for a final ruling on whether to open next month’s balloting to hundreds of candidates banned because of suspected ties to Saddam Hussein’s regime.
The request by the election commission could re-ignite feuds between Shiite-led authorities and Sunnis who claim they are being politically undermined before March 7 parliamentary elections — which US officials hope could be a milestone in reconciliation among Iraq’s rival groups.
Just a day earlier, Sunni leaders were celebrating an appeals court decision to temporarily set aside the election blacklist — with more than 450 names — and allow the candidates on the ballot. The ruling called for authorities to wait until after the voting to resume probes into possible ties to Saddam’s Sunni-dominated regime.
Shiite officials, including Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s political bloc, denounced the court ruling as a violation of Iraq’s drive to purge all high-level posts of any ties to Saddam’s Baath party.
The election commission chief, Faraj Al-Haidari, said Thursday the Supreme Judicial Council is being asked whether the appeals court ruling is binding. There was no deadline for a decision, but there is pressure for a quick reply.
