Exclusive: Iraqi ‘temple gods’ expected to amend Election Law

Exclusive: Iraqi ‘temple gods’ expected to amend Election Law
2025-01-29 17:46

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Iraqi MP Haitham Al-Fahd stated that amending the Parliamentary Election Law depends entirely on agreement among “temple gods.”

Al-Fahd confirmed to Shafaq News that no official proposal for amending the Election Law has been submitted to Parliament or its specialized committees so far, but informal discussions are taking place among political leaders behind closed doors.

“There are political figures pushing to amend the law, and we expect the amendment to happen soon," he said. “However, the decision ultimately lies in the hands of the temple gods (the political elite), and any modifications will be passed based on their personal and party interests.”

Notably, Iraq’s Parliament uses the Sainte-Laguë method for seat allocation, a proportional representation system based on the number of votes each list receives. The modified version, with a divisor of 1.7, tends to favor larger parties, making it harder for smaller parties and independents to secure seats.

The 2021 parliamentary elections saw larger parties, like the Sadrist Movement, led by Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and the Progress Party, headed by Sunni leader Mohammed Al-Halbousi, dominate. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) emerged as the primary Kurdish party.

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