Iraq: +300 electoral violations recorded nationwide
Shafaq News – Duhok
Iraq registered 309 legal violations by political parties and entities since the start of parliamentary election campaigning, Iraq’s electoral monitoring network, Shams, revealed on Wednesday.
Hoqar Jeto, director of the monitoring network, told Shafaq News that the breaches include vote-buying, misuse of state institutions, tearing down posters and banners, exploiting people with disabilities, spreading hate speech, and using religion and sacred symbols for political purposes.
“The campaigns in the Kurdistan Region remain calmer and more organized compared to other parts of the country,” he added, noting limited vote-buying incidents, though some hate speech has appeared on social media.
A joint operations room has been established between Shams and its observer partners, in coordination with the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), to monitor the process and report violations in real time.
Campaigning for Iraq’s legislative elections began on October 3 and will continue until 24 hours before early voting. The elections are scheduled for November 11, 2025, with roughly 30 million Iraqis eligible to vote out of a population of 46 million.
The vote will determine the 329-seat Council of Representatives, with multiple political coalitions—including the Coordination Framework, State of Law, and reformist blocs—competing across 18 provinces. Over 800 candidates have been disqualified nationwide by the IHEC due to criminal records, procedural violations, or ties to banned organizations.
Read more: Vote-buying casts shadow over Iraq’s 2025 elections
