Candidates Withdrawal of Iraq's Elections Raises Doubt over its Integrityhttps://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3045076/candidates-withdrawal-iraqs-elections-raises-doubt-over-its-integrity
Candidates Withdrawal of Iraq's Elections Raises Doubt over its Integrity
Protesters hold pictures of people who have been killed in anti-government protests during a demonstration calling for the government to resign, in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 29, 2020. (AP)
Candidates Withdrawal of Iraq's Elections Raises Doubt over its Integrity
Protesters hold pictures of people who have been killed in anti-government protests during a demonstration calling for the government to resign, in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 29, 2020. (AP)
The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission said dozens of candidates decided to drop out of the country's parliamentary elections scheduled for October 10, raising doubts over the poll's credibility.
This came as hundreds of candidates had their candidacy withdrawn over their ties to the Baath party.
The Commission's spokesman, Hasan Salman, said the withdrawal requests are under review, noting that some might be rejected.
According to Salman, the electoral commission was not concerned if the decisions to drop out were personal choices or came under pressure, but rather cares if the candidates's requests met certain criteria.
Notably, the UN Security Council unanimously approved an Iraqi request for a UN team to monitor the upcoming parliamentary elections.
In 2019, tens of thousands of Iraqi protesters took to the streets against a government seen by demonstrators as corrupt, during which nearly 600 people have died.
The deaths sparked outrage across the country and prompted the resignation of then-premier Adel Abdel Mahdi.
EU Urges ‘Immediate, Unimpeded’ Flood Aid to Gazahttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5341225-eu-urges-%E2%80%98immediate-unimpeded%E2%80%99-flood-aid-gaza
Displaced Palestinians walk through a rain-soaked tent camp following heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
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EU Urges ‘Immediate, Unimpeded’ Flood Aid to Gaza
Displaced Palestinians walk through a rain-soaked tent camp following heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
The European Union on Saturday demanded Israel grant urgent access for aid groups to Gaza to help the victims of devastating floods there.
"We urge Israel to allow immediate, unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance and early recovery support at scale, and to reopen all Gaza border crossings," it said in a statement.
Israeli Drone Strike Kills 2 Palestinians in Gazahttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5341222-israeli-drone-strike-kills-2-palestinians-gaza
Palestinians walk through a tent camp housing displaced people amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)
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Israeli Drone Strike Kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza
Palestinians walk through a tent camp housing displaced people amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)
An Israeli drone strike killed two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, hospital officials said.
The drone struck two Palestinians walking down a street in Jabaliya, on the northern edge of Gaza City, said Mohamed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where the casualties were taken.
The American field hospital said several other people were wounded but did not provide a number.
Asked about the attack, the Israeli military said it had struck two Hamas fighters in the area.
Near-daily Israeli fire and airstrikes have continued in Gaza more than a year after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal.
At least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records and is seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its toll but says women and children make up around half the dead.
Thousands Mourn al-Alwani as Lebanese Probe Awaitedhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5341216-thousands-mourn-al-alwani-lebanese-probe-awaited
Thousands Mourn al-Alwani as Lebanese Probe Awaited
Relatives receive former MP Ahmed al-Alwani's coffin upon its arrival at Baghdad airport on Saturday. (X)
Thousands of Iraqis on Saturday escorted the body of former MP Ahmed al-Alwani from Baghdad Airport to Ramadi in Anbar Governorate, where tribespeople and residents from across the province awaited his arrival amid scenes of grief and anger.
Meanwhile, the circumstances surrounding his killing in Beirut remain under investigation, even as Lebanese authorities have made progress in identifying two suspects.
A private jet carrying al-Alwani's body from the Lebanese capital landed at Baghdad Airport in the morning, with large crowds of mourners gathering at the airport.
Local media reported that Iraqi politician Khamis al-Khanjar, head of the Sovereignty Alliance, covered the cost of transporting the body aboard the private aircraft.
The funeral procession traveled toward Ramadi, located 110 kilometers from Baghdad, under heavy security and accompanied by military vehicles.
Mourners are seen at al-Alwani's funeral on Saturday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Security Media Cell had urged the public to await the investigation's findings and refrain from reading broader motives into the case before it concludes, noting the ongoing coordination between the Iraqi Embassy in Beirut, Lebanese judicial and security authorities, and the Iraqi National Intelligence Service.
Al-Alwani's killing has sparked uproar across Iraq, particularly in his home province of Anbar. Discussion of the case has been accompanied by political debates and sectarian commentary on social media, amid demands to identify those responsible for his death.
Kamel al-Dulaimi, former head of the Iraqi Presidential Diwan, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the circumstances and motives behind the crime still require clear and transparent disclosure to the public, underscoring the Iraqi state's responsibility to uncover the truth.
The funeral procession traveled toward Ramadi, located 110 kilometers from Baghdad, under heavy security and accompanied by military vehicles. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
He added that the case requires security and judicial cooperation among Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria to track down the perpetrators and those behind them, particularly if the investigation calls for cross-border coordination.
He warned that the sectarian rhetoric surrounding the incident reflects a persistent tendency to view national issues through a narrow lens, emphasizing that the matter concerns the sanctity of Iraqi blood and must not be reduced to the affiliation of an individual or a governorate.
Legal researcher Saif al-Saadi, who hails from Anbar, said al-Alwani was not merely a former lawmaker, but a prominent tribal, social, and political figure in the province, adding that the funeral reflects the depth of grief and anger across Anbar's cities.
Al-Alwani, who rose to prominence during the late 2013 Anbar protests, was arrested in December of that year and sentenced to death in 2014 after being convicted of killing two soldiers during clashes accompanying his arrest.
He was released in April 2025 after spending more than 11 years in prison, following the withdrawal of a complaint by one of the victims' families and his inclusion under the General Amnesty Law.
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