Iraq's Election Law amendments face challenges after parliamentary recess

Shafaq News

10-06-2025

Shafaq News/ Efforts to amend Iraq's election law are encountering significant obstacles following the end of the legislative recess, according to Jawad Al-Yassari, Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Regions and Governorates not organized in region.
Speaking to Shafaq News on Tuesday, Al-Yassari said that while political consultations continued during the recess, making changes to the law at this stage remains difficult. He acknowledged that there are clear shortcomings in the current legislation and a recognized need for reform, yet the momentum required to enact such changes has yet to materialize.
A key driver behind the proposed amendments is the formal recognition of Halabja as Iraq's 19th governorate. This milestone, reached on April 14, 2025, and ratified by the presidency on April 29, alters the existing electoral map, which was previously based on 18 provinces. Al-Yassari emphasized that this change necessitates a revision of the electoral framework to ensure representation is aligned with Iraq's updated administrative divisions.
Meanwhile, a political source recently told Shafaq News that parties within the Coordination Framework —one of Iraq's most influential political blocs—had reached an understanding to push for amendments to the election law after the Eid al-Adha holiday, which fell on June 9. These changes are expected to focus primarily on the method by which votes secured by the head of an electoral list are redistributed among the list's candidates.
Despite these discussions, no formal draft proposals have been submitted to Parliament. As of February 9, the Legal Committee confirmed it had not received any official amendment bills from any political or parliamentary body.
The next legislative elections are scheduled for November 11, 2025, as set by the Iraqi Council of Ministers. In preparation, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has completed the registration of political entities and continues to update voter data across the country.
The State of Law Coalition, led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, has long advocated for changes to the election law. Although their calls were initially met with resistance from several political factions—both within and outside the Coordination Framework—support for reform appears to be growing.
Earlier, MP Raed al-Maliki submitted a separate proposal to amend the election law, suggesting that each province should constitute a single electoral district. The exceptions, under his plan, would be Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul, which would each be divided into two districts due to their population size.