Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) informed the Council of Representatives on Tuesday that it had nominated Insijam al-Gharawi to replace Hussein Taleb, who was arrested before taking the constitutional oath as a replacement lawmaker for Baghdad Security Director Ammar Moussa.

According to a document issued by the commission and addressed to the parliament's General Secretariat, Insijam Abdul Zahra Jawad Ali al-Gharawi is the next eligible candidate after Hussein Taleb Aboud Mruh al-Fadhli in terms of votes in Iraq's 2025 parliamentary elections, as he did not take the constitutional oath.

The document stated that al-Gharawi, a candidate from the National Wisdom Movement (Tayyar al-Hikma al-Watani) within the State Forces Alliance, ranked fifth among candidates in Baghdad province, securing 4,866 votes.

The commission said her nomination was based on Board of Commissioners Decision No. 1, issued during its regular session on November 3, 2026.

Security forces arrested Hussein Taleb in Baghdad in early July, just hours before he was scheduled to take the constitutional oath as a replacement lawmaker for Ammar Moussa Kadhim Hussein al-Asadi.

Last week, Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity announced that Talib had received an eight-year prison sentence following an in-person trial after being convicted of using personal connections to benefit from contracts and agreements with the North Refineries Company.

The court also ordered him to repay the proceeds, amounting to 55 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $36.18 million).