Maliki’s coalition warns of “corrupt candidates” and describes the electoral situation as “chaotic.”
Maliki’s coalition warns of “corrupt candidates” and describes the electoral situation as “chaotic.”
2025-08-09 06:49
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Zuhair al-Jalabi, a leader in Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition, explained on Saturday that the Coordination Framework is not a political alliance in the traditional sense, but rather a coordination effort between large and influential political blocs representing the main Shiite component, given the absence of the Sadrist movement from the political process.
Al-Jalabi added to Shafaq News Agency, “The framework is the most prominent representative of the largest component in the country, especially after the withdrawal of the Sadrist movement, which has become classified among the social and religious forces due to its distancing from political activity.”
Regarding the political forces’ preparations for the elections, Chalabi confirmed that “the State of Law Coalition will contest the elections alone, with political alliances to be formed later after the results are announced, to elect a president, a parliament speaker, and appoint a prime minister.”
Al-Jalabi revealed that “State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki has decided to run in the upcoming elections, unlike the previous elections in which he did not participate as a candidate.” He attributed this to what he described as “the current chaos” resulting from the spread of political money and the “vote exchange,” warning that “the continuation of this situation could lead to major changes in the political map of forces within parliament.”
He continued, “The results of the upcoming elections cannot be accurately predicted due to the significant influence of capital, foreign interference, and the political exploitation of sectarianism, which are dangerous tools that influence voter will.”
Chalabi also warned against the “emergence of a number of new candidates,” describing them as “corrupt before they entered the political process,” considering this a dangerous indicator of the level of electoral practice expected.
The Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq is scheduled to conduct a lottery today, Saturday, to distribute the numbers of political entities and candidates as part of the organizational preparations for the upcoming elections. 31 alliances, 38 parties, and 76 individual candidates are participating, including 53 for component seats.
Commission spokesperson Jumana Al-Ghalay told Shafaq News Agency that the lottery will begin with serial number 201, with number 56 excluded for social reasons. She stressed that the commission has provided a safe and transparent environment for the process, with an official presence to ensure integrity.
The Iraqi Council of Ministers set November 11, 2025, as the date for the next parliamentary elections. The Electoral Commission announced that candidate campaigning will begin on October 8 and continue until 24 hours before the start of special voting. Approximately 30 million Iraqis out of a population of 46 million are eligible to participate in these elections.
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