Iraq’s 2025 elections draw about 8,000 candidates

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Nearly 8,000 candidates have registered to run in Iraq’s November 11 parliamentary elections, according to an official registration document released on Thursday, with Baghdad leading all provinces in political activity.

The document lists a total of 7,926 registered candidates across the country’s 18 electoral districts, including 5,701 men and 2,225 women. Baghdad recorded the highest number of candidates at 2,353, followed by Nineveh with 1,072 and Basra with 567. Duhok registered the fewest, with just 61 contenders.

Independent participation remains limited, however, with only 159 registered individual candidates: 51 for general seats, 25 for both general and minority quotas, and 12 exclusively for minority seats.

Some provinces, including al-Anbar, Basra, and al-Muthanna, reported no independent candidates at all, with only parties and alliances fielding contenders. Meanwhile, just five candidates were registered under dedicated minority parties.

In terms of political entities, 41 alliances and 87 parties have been cleared to participate. Baghdad hosts 15 of the registered parties, followed by Nineveh with 12. In total, 76 electoral lists are competing in the vote, comprising political alliances, parties, and independents.