Latest news with #AccountabilityandJusticeCommission
Shafaq News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq: Candidate disqualifications for elections could reach 400
Shafaq News — Baghdad The number of excluded parliamentary candidates, including those barred under Iraq's de-Baathification process, could reach 400, lawmaker Raed al-Maliki said on Wednesday. Speaking to Shafaq News, al-Maliki attributed the surge to the first-time enforcement of Article 7(3) of the amended 2018 Election Law — which prohibits those convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude, financial or administrative corruption, or reputational damage, even if pardoned — and to a stricter application of Accountability and Justice Commission measures after years of 'relative lenience.' So far, more than 150 candidates have been disqualified. The Commission removed 55 candidates in Nineveh and 10 in Dhi Qar, while additional lists from Baghdad and Diyala include dozens more. The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) continues to receive disqualification lists from verification bodies, which form the basis for its rulings.
Shafaq News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq's State of Law Coalition opposes replacing de-Baathification body
Shafaq News — Baghdad The State of Law Coalition, led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, warned on Wednesday that dissolving the Accountability and Justice Commission could open the way for Saddam Hussein's daughter, Raghad, to return and run for office. Raghad has lived in Jordan under official protection since 2003, voicing criticism of Iraq's post-invasion political system and Iranian influence, and hinting at a future political role. The Baath Party she is promoting — which ruled Iraq from 1968 until it was toppled in 2003 — was banned under de-Baathification laws designed to dismantle its political and security apparatus. She has been wanted by Iraqi authorities since 2007 and was sentenced in absentia in 2024 to seven years in prison for promoting the outlawed party. Speaking to Shafaq News, Coalition member Hussein al-Maliki described the commission as a constitutional body responsible for identifying Baathists and preventing them from holding posts specified in the constitution. Abolishing it, he argued, would remove the mechanism for vetting candidates for parliament, ministries, and senior government positions. "Calls to disband the body — which has completed only 30% of its mandate — originate from Baathist circles seeking political rehabilitation," he warned. "With more than 25,000 Baathists still present in Iraq, their return to power could revive the party's bloody authoritarian path." Earlier in the day, the Islamic Dawa Party — also led by Nouri al-Maliki — reaffirmed its support for excluding Baathists from Iraq's political process. The Accountability and Justice Commission traces its origins to the US-run " De-Baathification Committee" established in 2003 and was restructured under a 2008 law. A political source told Shafaq News earlier this year that parties in the State Administration Coalition, which includes key Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish parties and serves as the primary governing coalition in the country, had discussed replacing it with a judicial body to review candidate files.
Shafaq News
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Halabja calls for provincial status in talks with Iraqi President
Shafaq News/ On Sunday, the Iraqi President, Abdul Latif Rashid, met with a delegation from Halabja Province to discuss the city's challenges, as well as a proposal to grant it provincial status. According to a statement from the president's media office, Rashid met with a delegation comprising government officials, parliamentarians, and religious figures from Halabja. The discussions focused on the city's administrative, economic, and urban conditions, as well as the challenges it faces and the essential needs of its residents. 'The delegation requested that the bill to grant Halabja provincial status be included in parliament's sessions for a vote,' the statement revealed. President Rashid affirmed that the chemical attack by the former regime was 'a heinous crime against humanity.' He also highlighted Halabja's commercial, cultural, and intellectual significance, along with its agricultural wealth. Halabja's recognition as an Iraqi province has emerged as a central demand from Kurdish parties, with political discussions now hinging on it. The move to grant Halabja provincial status is seen as a long-overdue acknowledgment of the city's historical trauma and its cultural and economic importance. This key demand is tied to the approval of the PMF law, with Shiite factions proposing amendments, while other political conditions include the dissolution of the Accountability and Justice Commission for the Sunni component.
