Sunni Party Drops Out of Elections

A bad sign that sectarian tensions could be worsening again in Iraq: The Sunni wing of the country’s main nonsectarian political coalition has withdrawn from next month’s national elections after a Shiite-led panel—with, some say, Iranian backing—banned hundreds of mostly Sunni candidates. The party, the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, is also calling on other parties to back out of the elections. American and U.N. officials have voiced concerns that a disputed election could usher in a new wave of violence in Iraq.