52 Iraqi candidates rejected

2010-04-26 15:33

Baghdad - An Iraqi judicial panel has invalidated the candidatures of 52 people who stood in Iraq's March 7 general election, a spokesperson for a controversial investigative committee told AFP on Monday.

"Their participation in the election is considered cancelled," said Ali Mahmud, spokesperson for the justice and accountability panel chaired by former deputy prime minister Ahmed Chalabi.

"The appeal panel has rejected appeals from the 52 candidates which the justice and accountability panel discovered," Mahmud said.

The decision was taken by a three member judicial panel established by the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Iraq's election authority.

State television carried a statement from senior IHEC official Hamdiyah al-Husseini which said the 52 candidates had one month to launch a further appeal to a committee of seven judges who could reinstate them.

It was not immediately clear if any of the barred candidates won seats in the election.

- AFP