IECI WILL NOT EXCLUDE CANDIDATES LISTED BY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 004796 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2015 TAGS: PNAT PGOV PTER KDEM IZ SUBJECT: IECI WILL NOT EXCLUDE CANDIDATES LISTED BY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC INTEGRITY Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) Prior to departing for OCV oversight trips on November 24, Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) Commissioner Farid Ayar told PolOff on multiple occasions that the IECI Commissioners had agreed not to exclude the names of any candidates on a letter previously submitted to the IECI by the Commission on Public Integrity (CPI). On November 28, Farid re- affirmed this message in a press statement to Al Malaf net that was released on the internet. ¶2. (C) The CPI letter had identified Minister of Municipalities and Public Works Nasreen Barwari, former Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Leila Abdul Latif, and former Minister of Defense Hazim al Shaalan as candidates who were charged with corruption and hence barred from running for office. Ayar told Poloff said that the CPI letter was weak, and provided little evidence of confirmed criminal activities that would justify exclusion of the three from the election. KHALILZAD