Iraq is at a crossroads as parliamentary elections begin

With the military and displaced persons voting, operations have begun and will culminate tomorrow. Outgoing Prime Minister al-Sudani claims the government's “success” and seeks a second term. On the Shiite front, the influence of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki remains, while al-Sadr has confirmed his boycott. Sunnis and Kurds are the other forces in the field. The number of young candidates is ‘significant,’ but experts say the vote is unlikely to bring about change.

Baghdad (AsiaNews) - A few hours before the electoral silence, which came into effect over the weekend, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani claimed his government's success in holding parliamentary elections on schedule.

For the outgoing head of government, meeting the deadline set for tomorrow, 11 November 2025, when the country will go to the polls for the sixth general election since the fall of former leader Saddam Hussein, is an ‘important event’ for the nation. At the same time, he reaffirmed the commitment of the state and its institutions to a democratic path and a peaceful transfer of power.

A total of 7,768 candidates, including 5,520 men and 2,248 women, representing 31 coalitions, 38 parties and 75 independent lists, are competing for 329 seats in the Council of Representatives (the Parliament), which elects the president and grants confidence to the government. According to the Electoral Commission, around 21 million Iraqis are eligible to vote. The capital, Baghdad, has the largest share with a total of 71 seats.

Meanwhile, members of the security forces and internally displaced persons began voting yesterday. Polls opened at 7 a.m. local time for 1.3 million members of the security forces in 809 polling stations, closing at 6 p.m.

Early voting was justified on logistical grounds, as they will be busy guarding the polling stations on 11 November. In addition to these, there are more than 26,500 internally displaced persons, who were also entitled to vote early yesterday at 97 polling stations in 27 centres across the country. Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari reported that the process went “smoothly and in an organised manner”.

Speaking during a visit to the Joint Operations Command headquarters in Baghdad, the prime minister confirmed that there will be no curfew on election day to ensure a high degree of mobility for voters. Al-Sudani, who took office in 2022, leads the “Reconstruction and Development” coalition, which includes several Shia parties.

His campaign has focused on improving services, fighting corruption and consolidating state authority. He is one of the few recent prime ministers who has been able to advance reconstruction projects by balancing relations with both Iran and the United States, Iraq's two main allies, albeit on diametrically opposed sides.

Several other party blocs are vying for the electorate's vote. The State of Law coalition, led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, remains influential and competes with al-Sudani's camp for dominance within the Shiite community, which is the majority in the country, especially in the central-southern region.

A number of parties with ties to Tehran and its armed militias are also running on separate lists. On the other hand, on the Shiite front, the influential Moqtada al-Sadr has in recent days ruled out his movement's participation in the vote after preventing his own men from standing as candidates, with the risk of further lowering the already uncertain turnout figures. “I know for a fact that the decision to boycott is difficult and painful for many,” al-Sadr himself said, “but the homeland is too precious to be sold to the corrupt and the dependent”.

On the Sunni Muslim front, the main political force is the Taqadum party, led by former parliamentary speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, with its support concentrated in areas where it is in the majority in the west and north of the country.

The party supports the reconstruction of state institutions and the empowerment of Sunni communities after years of conflict and marginalisation. In the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by veteran leader Masoud Barzani, dominates the regional government and is seeking a larger share of the oil revenues that support the national budget. Its main rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Bafel Talabani, supports closer ties with Baghdad and has often allied itself with Shiite factions.

This year's elections will be conducted under a new electoral law that returns to a single-member constituency system for each governorate, a change from the multi-district system used previously that is expected to favour larger parties.

The vote will also feature significant technological developments aimed at increasing transparency and speed in the announcement of results. For the first time since 2005, the Independent High Electoral Commission has eliminated the use of indelible ink to mark voters' fingers. Instead, iris scanning will be the primary method of voter identification, replacing fingerprinting.

Regardless of alliances, boycotts and voting methods, many Iraqis remain sceptical, seeing that the 11 November vote is unlikely to bring real change to the country's stagnant politics, with the same powerful groups controlling the state and its oil wealth since Saddam's fall in 2003.

Nevertheless, the presence of a significant number of young candidates – for the second time since the 2005 elections – marks the entry into active political life of citizens who were infants or young children when the former dictator was overthrown, stimulating new – and legitimate – demands for reform.

Some are optimistic about the potential for change, while others remain cool, citing the influence of powerful groups and the potential for violence from armed militias. Despite the challenges, many young candidates are determined to bring about a “new Iraq” and support reforms (electoral and otherwise) and a reduction in Iranian influence.