IHEC: 80 Political Parties, Alliances Signal Intent to Contest 2025 Iraqi Elections

PUKMEDIA

IHEC Spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai.

The registration period for political parties and alliances seeking to participate in Iraq’s 2025 parliamentary elections, which opened on 15 April 2024, was set to close on Sunday, 4 May 2025.  However, the Board of Commissioners of Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) decided to extend the period for registering parties and alliances until the end of the official working day on 14 May 2025. According to the IHEC spokesperson,  so far, 330 parties and political entities are registered, with five new alliances recently added.

IHEC spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai told PUKMEDIA that, since 2015, the Commission has registered more than 330 parties and political entities. She noted that five new alliances have recently registered, but emphasised that not all registered parties and alliances are guaranteed to participate in the forthcoming elections. Ghalai called on these groups to contact the Commission’s Parties Department to formally express their intention to stand in the elections.

She further stated that 70 parties and alliances, presently in the process of formation, and another 80 parties and alliances have already declared their desire to contest the upcoming polls. Meanwhile, the Voter registration updates have reached approximately one million.

Ghalai added: “Not all alliances and parties registered with the Commission will necessarily participate in the upcoming elections, as some alliances have seen parties withdraw, while others have welcomed new members. Therefore, all alliances are urged to contact the Commission to update their details to ensure their participation.”

The IHEC launched the renewal process for voter cards and biometric data on 24 March 2025, with the campaign scheduled to run until 23 May. This initiative forms part of broader efforts to ensure a transparent and inclusive electoral process ahead of Iraq’s parliamentary elections, which are set for 11 November 2025.

The previous parliamentary elections, held on 10 October 2021, resulted in the election of 329 members to Iraq’s fifth parliamentary session. Voter turnout at that time stood at 42.15 per cent, with the new parliament convening for its inaugural session on 9 January 2022.



PUKMEDIA