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Sunni leader decides to take part in Iraq election | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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BAGHDAD (AP) – A top Sunni lawmaker says that his party is back in the election, less than a week after saying he was pulling out of the race in protest.

Saleh al-Mutlaq during a news conference on Thursday reversed his earlier position and said he would now allow his party to take part in the vote. He called on all Iraqis to go to participate in elections.

Al-Mutlaq is himself banned from running in the vote by a committee vetting candidates for ties to Saddam Hussein’s Baath party. He said he quit the party in the 70s, and last Saturday said he was pulling his entire list out of the election.

He gave no reason for his sudden change in position, which had raised fears about a wider Sunni boycott.