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Baghdad: Appeals panel decision illegal

The Iraqi government has said an appeals panel’s decision to allow suspected Baath party members to run in March elections is “illegal.”

Government Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh on Thursday called the move by Iraq’s High Electoral Commission to reinstate the candidates “illegal.”

According to the appeals panel, candidates barred by the Justice and Accountability Commission may stand in the polls.

The Commission was set up in an attempt to ensure that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s Baath party won’t return to public life.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government has called for a special parliament session on Sunday to discuss the decision of the country’s top court.

The current government of Premier Nouri al-Maliki has been named as the greatest obstacle to the realization of the Baath’s goals.

Amid the election row, US Vice-President Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad last week to talk with Nouri al-Maliki about the disqualification of the candidates.

Biden’s visit was aimed at persuading Iraqi officials to reverse the ban on candidates with links to the Baath party.

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