Sunni party threatens to boycott elections in Iraq

BAGHDAD — A leading Sunni party announced Saturday that it will boycott Iraq's upcoming elections because its leader was barred from participating, casting into doubt the inclusiveness of a vote the U.S. military hopes will finally stabilize the country enough for its troops to go home.

The Iraqi National Dialogue Front, whose leader, Saleh Mutlaq, has been forbidden to run because of his alleged expressions of sympathy for Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, cited what it called "Iranian interference" for its decision not to participate in the March 7 parliamentary elections.

Mutlaq was among about 500 candidates disqualified from the election. A seven-judge panel signed off on most of the disqualifications. But before the appeals process, all but 171 were replaced by their parties or withdrew. Only 25 prevailed upon appeal.

The election vetting committee, the Supreme National Commission for Accountability and Justice, has long been controversial. The top U.S. military commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, and U.S. Ambassador Chris Hill have both said the group's top two members, Ahmed Chalabi and Ali Faisal al-Lami, are influenced by Iran.

Mutlaq, a member of parliament, has emerged over the last five years as a forceful spokesman for Sunnis disgruntled over the political process. His party won 11 seats in the last elections, enough to make a difference when it comes to choosing who will form the next government.

Mutlaq said the decision to boycott was triggered by comments alleging Iranian influence made earlier in the week in Washington by Odierno.

"This means the whole electoral process is now being conducted according to the Iranian style, which means they choose who they want to win and ban who they want," he said in a telephone interview from the Jordanian capital, Amman.

Campaign vandalism: A spate of defaced, torn down or otherwise trashed posters of candidates across the country has prompted the Shiite-led Iraqi government to threaten prison sentences of up to a year on vandals. Shiite lawmaker Abbas al-Bayati, a member of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political coalition, wants tougher punishment. "One year is not enough as punishment," said Bayati. His posters were among those that were torn.

Information from the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post was used in this report.