"Curbing abuse": Iraq drafts new election law
Shafaq News/ Iraq has proposed a new amendment to its electoral law to tighten voting regulations, the parliamentary legal committee announced on Tuesday.
The draft, submitted by committee member MP Raed al-Maliki, outlines reforms aimed at “improving transparency, preventing political interference, and ensuring fair competition” ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for October.
Under the proposal, each province would function as a single electoral district, except for Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul, which would be divided into two districts each. The number of candidates per electoral list would be capped at the number of seats available in each district to prevent the practice of “duplicate nominations.”
The amendment also allocates 30% of seats in each district to the top-performing independent candidates who secure at least 1.5% of the vote, with the remaining 70% distributed among list-based candidates. The Sainte-Laguë* formula would also be revised, lowering the divisor from 1.7 to 1.5 to increase electoral competitiveness.
The draft includes mandatory resignation for MPs running in local elections to "prevent the misuse of public office," and for governors or provincial council members contesting parliamentary seats. It also bans the use of welfare programs, land grants, or public services in election campaigns.
The proposal follows a recent meeting between Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and the head of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Omar Ahmed Mohammed, to discuss preparations for the October vote. IHEC last week began updating the voter registry, a process set to continue for one month.
Some lawmakers, including legal committee member Mohammed Aunouz, have said no formal steps to amend the election law had been taken, suggesting the talks were taking place behind the scenes. In March, Aunouz described the discussions as “political talk.”
*The Sainte-Laguë method is a mathematical formula used to allocate parliamentary seats based on proportional representation. Originally developed in Europe, it is designed to give smaller parties a fairer share of seats relative to their vote count. Iraq currently uses a modified version of the formula, and the proposed amendment would lower the divisor from 1.7 to 1.5—an adjustment intended to increase electoral competitiveness and improve the chances for independent candidates and emerging political movements.
