Up to 21 candidates in Afghanistan's upcoming elections will be disqualified for being militia commanders or being linked to armed groups, a report said.
The commission that is overseeing the elections said new evidence has emerged against the 21 people. While the number may change, unnamed officials told the BBC that candidates with ties to armed groups would be disqualified before the Sept. 18 parliamentary and provincial elections.
However, it is too late to take their names off ballots. Disqualified candidates could challenge the decision in court, throwing the election process into chaos.
Some observers told the BBC that the disqualifications, which could be announced within several days, are a belated attempt to address concerns that the commission was too soft in examining the backgrounds of Afghan candidates before ballots were printed.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
