Iran press/Africa: The commission said a separate International Criminal Court conviction for witness tampering was the reason for Bemba’s exclusion from the list.
Bemba, a former warlord who earlier in August returned to the Congolese capital Kinshasa to submit his candidacy for president after a decade in prison in The Hague for war crimes, had been seen as one of the frontrunners in the race to succeed incumbent Joseph Kabila.
Bemba was acquitted on appeal at the International Criminal Court of war crimes and crimes against humanity for murder, rape and pillage committed by fighters he sent to Central African Republic in 2002 but his witness tampering conviction stands.
Last month, Bemba placed third in a rare public opinion poll on the likely outcome of the election, winning 17 percent support.
