Two prominent parliamentary blocs insist on adopting multiple constituencies for elections

Shafaq News / MP of Al-Fatah coalition, Muhammad Karim, revealed on Tuesday, the insistence of alliances and other Iraqi forces on the adoption of multiple constituencies in the new election law, considering each district as one electoral district.

Saairun coalition is the largest coalition in the Iraqi parliament with 54 seats in parliament out of 329 and has the support of the Sadrist movement leader, Muqtada al-Sadr.

While the coalition of Iraqi forces is the largest bloc of Sunni political forces in Parliament and is led by Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi and holds about 40 seats.

The controversy over the new election law has resurfaced, with Mustafa al-Kadhimi's government seeking to pass it in preparation for an early election.

Karim told Shafaq News agency, "The latest meeting of the Presidency of the Council of Representatives, heads of political blocs and the parliamentary legal committee did not reach a final agreement to resolve the issue of the distribution of electoral districts". 

Karim revealed a new proposal in this regard, "each supply center has one electoral district". 

He added, "Saairun and the Iraqi Forces coalition insisted on their stance with the multiplicity of electoral districts in the governorate and considering each district as a single electoral constituency," noting, "the Presidency of the parliament postponed discussion and proposals to the next meeting to resolve the electoral constituencies paragraph". 

The Iraqi parliament had passed part of a new law for parliamentary elections late last year under the pressure of unprecedented popular protests.

Since the protests began in October 2019, protesters in the Iraqi governorates are calling for new election laws to increase the access of independent to the parliament and not limit the candidates of parties that have dominated the political scene since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

The Iraqi parliament had passed part of a new election law late last year under the pressure of unprecedented popular protests.

However, disputes prevented the completion of the legislation of the law, as it revolved around the adoption of multiple constituencies or a single constituency in each governorate, as well as the method of direct voting or via lists.