Political calculations shape prospects for electoral law changes

Informal discussions among Iraq's political elite are underway regarding potential amendments to the electoral law. While it remains uncertain whether a draft bill will reach parliament, some political figures are quietly advocating for change.

In a televised interview this week, Nouri Al-Maliki acknowledged that electoral reforms were under consideration, though he admitted the government was not supporting such efforts. Consequently, any proposed bill would need to be introduced by the president, who holds the authority to do so.

Iraq has historically employed various forms of proportional representation, except in 2021 when it briefly shifted to a Single Non-Transferable Vote (SNTV) system. This method allocates seats based solely on the highest-performing individual candidates within a single electoral district, favoring independent candidates but resulting in a high volume of wasted votes. The system was reversed in 2023 when parliament reinstated proportional representation for both provincial and national elections, with each province serving as a single voting district.

In June last year, driven by PM Sudani’s rising popularity and efforts to solidify a parliamentary base, Maliki emphasized that the promise of early elections was part of the political agreement that brought Sudani to power. However, Maliki’s push for early elections hinged on Muqtada Al-Sadr’s support. If Sadr had called for early elections, the Coordination Framework would have struggled to resist.