01-05-2025
Iraq's National Line Movement sits out upcoming elections
Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Iraq's National Line Movement announced it will not participate in the upcoming November parliamentary elections, citing what it described as 'a deeply flawed political system resistant to reform.'
Speaking at a press conference, Secretary-General Aziz al-Rubaie attributed the boycott to extensive internal consultations and growing concerns that entrenched power structures remain firmly in place two decades after the 2003 political overhaul.
'This is not a retreat from politics. It is a strategic choice to lay the groundwork for a genuine national alternative—one that reflects the public's demands for sovereignty, reform, and accountable governance,' al-Rubaie asserted.
He outlined several key reasons behind the decision, pointing to structural barriers that, in the movement's view, continue to erode the integrity of the electoral process:
1- Many political parties still operate with armed wings, distorting democratic competition and turning elections into contests of power rather than ideas.
2- The current legal framework favors established forces, blocking new and independent actors from meaningful participation.
3- Government officials routinely exploit public resources for electoral gain, undermining any sense of fairness.
4- The Independent High Electoral Commission lacks the independence and capacity to guarantee credible elections, and international monitoring remains insufficient and non-binding.
5- Elections have become mechanisms for recycling the same political elites in a closed loop that resists real change.
6- The widespread use of illicit political financing to buy influence continues unchecked, with authorities largely silent.
Founded in 2024, the National Line Movement brands itself as a 'civic, reform-oriented force' outside Iraq's traditional Shiite political framework. Though it holds no seats in parliament, the movement seeks to reshape Iraq's political equation through grassroots engagement. It also emphasizes alignment with the principles of the Najaf religious authority, referring to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani as a 'true safeguard of the national civil model.'
