Iraqi Prime Minister Al Sudani confirms candidacy for November elections

Parliamentary vote will be the first to be held after electoral law amendments

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani on stage with The National's Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi at the Sulaimani Forum in Sulaimaniyah. Aymen Al-Almeri /The National

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani announced on Wednesday that he would run in the parliamentary election scheduled for November, as the country prepares for what he described as a decisive vote.

Speaking to The National’s Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi at the Sulaimani Forum in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah, Mr Al Sudani said political alliances were being formed.

“Definitely,” he said in response to a question about whether he planned to run.

“The alliances are being forged and will be announced soon,” he added, pledging to “break the cycle and deliver what pushes Iraqis to participate”.

Iraq’s cabinet last week set November 11 as the date for the parliamentary election − the sixth to be held since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Iraq’s last general election, in October 2021, was brought forward by a year in response to demands from a widespread pro-reform protest movement that began in 2019 across central and southern Iraq.

However, political infighting among the country’s ruling elite – particularly among Shiite parties – delayed the formation of a new government until October 2022.

The 2021 elections were conducted under a new electoral law passed in the wake of the 2019 protests. That law divided provinces into smaller electoral districts and awarded seats to the party with the most votes in each. It gave independent parties, many backed by the protest movement, a better chance to secure representation in Iraq’s 329-seat parliament.

But in March 2023 Iraq’s parliament approved amendments to the electoral law, despite objections from independent politicians and protest groups. The changes are seen as favouring larger, more established parties and making it harder for independents to win seats.

“These elections are the continuation of a patriotic project to open a new chapter for Iraq,” Mr Al Sudani said.