Iraqis 'losing faith' in elections amid political boycotts and vote-buying allegations

Iraq will hold parliamentary elections in November for the sixth time since the 2003 US-led invasion

A voter receives a ballot at a polling station in the southern city of Nasiriyah during Iraq's provincial elections in December 2023. AFP

As Iraq gears up for the national elections later this year, the electoral process is becoming mired in controversy over allegations of vote buying and the use of illegally acquired political funds, as well as boycotts by some political parties.

These developments are raising doubts whether the November 11 vote, Iraq’s sixth parliamentary election since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime, will be free, fair and truly representative or just another step towards reinforcing the grip of dominant parties.

The most recent blow came from former prime minister Haider Al Abadi's Victory Coalition, which announced this week that it would not field any candidates in the election. It cited concerns over political spending, the use of state resources to influence voters and a lack of legal safeguards against fraud.

“The Victory Coalition refuses to take part in an election that is based on political money and lacking firm enforcement of legal regulations to prevent manipulation, vote-buying, misuse of public and foreign funds and the exploitation of state resources,” it said.

It said there was an “urgent need to reform the electoral process, as it is the pillar of democracy and the key to increasing voter participation and enabling the election of the most competent candidates away from any illegitimate or unethical influences that could harm the integrity of the results”.

The coalition, however, says it will remain part of the National State Forces Alliance which is led by Shiite cleric Ammar Al Hakim and presents itself as a moderate and a reformist political group that seeks to move beyond the sectarian divisions. It will support those “we believe are competent” within that alliance, it added.

Although the Victory Coalition is not an influential political group, it is considered one of the few moderate voices inside the Co-ordination Framework, the largest parliamentary group dominated by Iran-backed political factions and militias. Mr Al Abadi served a four-year term as prime minister from September 2014, a tenure that was marked by the US-led war to end the ISIS invasion of Iraq.

He joins a growing list of political figures who are opting out of the November election. A number of independent candidates and smaller reformist movements have also said they will not participate this year, citing similar concerns over fraud, violence and the erosion of electoral competitiveness.

Their stance echoes the position taken by the influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, who announced a total withdrawal from the political process when he failed to form a majority government with only Sunni and Kurdish parties, after winning 73 of the 329 seats in parliament in the 2021 polls.

Mr Al Sadr reiterated his decision to boycott the election in a handwritten message posted on his X account on Friday with the hashtag #We_Are_Boycotting.

He said justice could only be upheld by “bringing all weapons under state control, dismantling militias, strengthening Iraq’s army and security forces, achieving complete independence and urgently seeking reforms and accountability”.

A western diplomat described the decision by some political players − mainly moderates − to pull out of the elections as “worrying”.

He noted that the lack of participation and a trend towards low turnouts do not bode well for Iraq. “It’s not good for a democratic country,” he said.

An Iraqi army soldier shows his ink-stained finger after voting in Kadhimiya, northern Baghdad, during Iraq's provincial elections in December 2023. AFP

'Lost faith'

The boycotts come amid mounting allegations that biometric voter ID cards – intended to combat election fraud – are being sold. Activists have flagged instances of people, particularly in poorer communities, being approached with offers of money in exchange for their cards.

In a voice note circulated on social media, a woman promised free minor plastic surgery for those who present voter cards. A delivery company threatened employees in a message on their private chat group that they would lose their jobs if they failed to bring their voter cards and those of their relatives. In a video posted on Facebook, a man identified as an aide to a politician in Salaheddin province says anyone seeking jobs or favours from him would have to give him their voter cards.

Alarmed by the latest trends, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission, has said it is “taking the necessary measures to prevent any violations that threaten the integrity of the electoral process”.

It said those responsible would face legal action and exclusion from the elections.

“The sale or purchase of biometric voter cards, or the attempt to do so, and the exploitation of state resources for electoral purposes are electoral crimes punishable by law,” it said.

There have been reports in Iraqi media that government vehicles and buildings are being used in efforts to woo voters, including the use of a school that prompted the Education Minister to order an investigation.

Despite technology introduced to reduce electoral violations, such as the introduction of biometric voter IDs and the immediate transmission of vote tallies from counting centres to the electoral authority's headquarters via satellite, the 2021 election saw a record low turnout of 41 per cent. It was followed by months of political deadlock over the formation of a new government until the Co-ordination Framework mustered enough backing to install Mohammed Shia Al Sudani as Prime Minister a year later.

The 2021 election was held under a new electoral law adopted by parliament in response to pro-reform protests that began in October 2019. The law divided each province into electoral districts with the winner being the party with the highest number of votes, which gave new independent parties – many of which were supported by protesters – a better chance of winning seats.

Under the previous system, each of the 18 provinces was a single electoral district, and seats were apportioned based on a complicated formula that favoured established parties.

However, parliament reversed these changes in March 2023, once again making it more difficult for independent candidates and small parties to compete.

Now, the sense of public disillusionment is even deeper. Many of the young protesters who filled Iraq’s streets in 2019 have either exited the political scene or left the country altogether.

“People have lost faith,” Mustafa Majeed, 42, who took part in the 2019 protests in the southern city of Nasiriyah, told The National. “They don’t see elections as a means to improve their lives, they see them as a mechanism to maintain the same corrupt structure.”