Iraq's CF pushes post-Eid legislative overhaul

Shafaq News

3 days ago

Shafaq News/ Iraq's Coordination Framework (CF) is preparing a legislative package to amend key laws immediately after the Eid al-Adha recess, a political source confirmed on Wednesday.
One proposal involves revising the electoral law to allocate 80% of party list votes to lead candidates and 20% to others—an adjustment the CF, a governed alliance of predominantly Shiite political parties in Iraq, claims would enhance political cohesion and limit vote dispersion, particularly in Baghdad.
The source stressed, however, that the change is procedural and will not disrupt the electoral commission's preparations for the November vote.
To advance the agenda, CF leaders have instructed their lawmakers to coordinate with other blocs to secure quorum and fast-track debate on the amendments.
The initiative follows months of debate among Iraqi factions and pressure from senior figures critical of the current electoral framework.
MP Raad al-Maliki submitted earlier a parallel draft that proposes treating each province as a single electoral district—except Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul, which would be split in two—and limiting party lists to the number of seats available in each district to curb over-nomination.
The bill also suggests lowering Iraq's modified Sainte-Laguë divisor from 1.7 to 1.5 to improve representation for smaller parties and enhance electoral competitiveness.
To mitigate conflicts of interest, the proposed changes include an automatic resignation clause for sitting lawmakers seeking local office and for governors or provincial council members running for Parliament.
Separately, the bloc plans to revisit Iraq's oil and gas law to reinforce federal authority and ensure more equitable revenue distribution across provinces, in addition to pursuing revisions to the Administrative Structure Law, although specifics remain unclear.