Iraqi Lawmakers Amend Election Law, Drawing Protests

Iraqi lawmakers early on Monday passed controversial amendments to the country’s election law that could undermine the chances for smaller parties and independent candidates to win seats in parliament. The amendments, which increase the size of electoral districts, reverse key articles passed ahead of the 2021 federal election and redraw the electoral maps to have Iraq return to one electoral district per governorate. The move was widely backed by the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Iran-backed parties, which forms the majority bloc in the current parliament.

Several Iraqi political blocs and independent parliamentarians had rejected the amendments and stalled the vote for weeks. Hundreds of protesters gathered over the past weeks to voice their opposition. The outcome of the 2021 election shocked the Coordination Framework, which lost seats while its chief political rival, firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was declared the clear victor. Independent candidates fear the elections under the new law will empower the ruling parties, which they accuse of rampant corruption.

Iraq’s previous election law was adopted following mass anti-government protests in 2019 and gave independent candidates and grassroots movements a better chance at winning seats. Its drafting and the subsequent 2021 elections involved technical assistance from the United Nations. The Iraqi government has not yet scheduled the country’s next general elections.