Latest news with #Hazemal-Rudaini


Shafaq News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
More parties than MPs: Iraq urged to reform law
Shafaq News/ Iraq now has more political parties than seats in its 329-member parliament, the Strategic Center for Human Rights (SCHR) said on Monday. In a statement, SCHR's Deputy Head Hazem al-Rudaini noted that 333 parties are officially registered with the Political Parties and Organizations Department under the 2015 Parties Law, with over 50 more still in the formation stage. As the number of political parties has surpassed the number of parliamentarians, al-Rudaini called for amending the law after ten years of implementation. He proposed revoking the license of any group that fails to participate in two consecutive election cycles. 'The goal of forming a party should be active participation in the political and electoral processes.' The official recommended that political groups maintain offices in multiple provinces to show national reach, and urged regular monitoring of their rhetoric, which he said often includes calls to boycott elections and withdraw from the political process. 80 political parties and 71 electoral alliances intend to participate in the upcoming elections in November 2025, according to IHEC data. Registration remains open until May 14.


Shafaq News
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
2025 elections: 9M Iraqis barred from voting
Shafaq News/ Nearly nine million Iraqis are unable to vote in the upcoming 2025 parliamentary elections, the Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq said on Saturday. Hazem al-Rudaini, the center's deputy director, noted that the total number of eligible voters—including those born in 2007 who recently reached voting age—stands at 29.1 million. However, only around 20 million have completed biometric registration, a legal requirement to cast a ballot in the October 11 elections. 'This leaves roughly 9 million Iraqis without the right to vote,' he explained, urging the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to extend the registration deadline by another month to allow more citizens to update their data. He also called for a nationwide awareness campaign involving the government, media, and civil society groups.