Record Number of Candidates Raises Doubts Ahead of Iraq's 2025 Elections
Iraq's Nov. 2025 elections will see a record 7,900 candidates vying for 329 seats. Analysts warn the overcrowded field may fragment votes, favoring entrenched powers, while critics cite weak platforms and call for legal safeguards to ensure electoral integrity.
By Kamaran Aziz
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — As Iraq prepares for its upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for November 11, 2025, the Independent High Electoral Commission has announced that 7,900 candidates are competing for 329 seats—marking the highest number of candidates since 2003. While this may reflect heightened political participation, observers have voiced serious concerns about the implications of such a crowded electoral field.
Election analysts and observers warn that the sheer number of candidates may fail to meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people. They caution that the oversaturation of candidates could lead to a fragmentation of votes, inadvertently benefiting dominant political forces that are already entrenched within Iraq’s governance structure.
Critics of the current electoral landscape argue that many candidates are selected based on influence and personal relationships rather than a commitment to national vision or comprehensive policy programs. This trend, they say, has weakened legal institutions in previous election cycles and threatens to do so again in 2025.
Observers also note a distinct lack of substance in many campaign platforms. “Most participating lists do not offer a solid economic or service-related proposal,” one expert commented, emphasizing that numerous candidates continue to rely on populist rhetoric rather than concrete strategies to address Iraq’s ongoing economic and governance crises.
The concern goes beyond the number of candidates or even voter turnout. Analysts stress that the legitimacy and success of the upcoming elections hinge on the integrity of the legal and security environment in which they are conducted. “The success of the elections does not solely depend on the number of participants or the voting turnout, but rather on the legal and security environment that protects the citizens' votes from being manipulated,” they stated.
The date for the elections was set by the Council of Ministers on April 9, 2025, according to a statement released by the media office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The decision was made by majority vote, reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to holding timely elections. However, with public confidence still fragile, and the political atmosphere marked by skepticism, the road to November promises to be both pivotal and contentious.
