Iraq clears way for banned candidates

Baghdad: An Iraqi official says an appeals court has rejected a ban imposed on hundreds of candidates for suspected ties to Saddam Hussain's regime.

Election commission member Hamdiya Al Hussaini says Wednesday's decision should open the way for the blacklisted candidates to join the March 7 parliamentary election.

More than 450 people remained on the list. Most were apparently barred because of suspected ties to Saddam's Baath party, but others were excluded because of criminal records or other violations.

It was not immediately clear how many of the banned candidates could run, including prominent Sunni political figure Saleh Al Mutlaq.

Many Sunnis had complained they were unfairly targeted by the Shiite-led government, although the list included Shiites.