7,900 Iraqi Candidates to Compete for 329 Parliamentary Seats

PUKMEDIA

Voting sheets.

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced on Sunday, 6 July 2025, that over 7,900 candidates have registered to contest 329 seats in the upcoming parliamentary elections—a record number since 2003, reflecting a notable expansion in political participation.

In an official statement, the IHEC confirmed that the candidates represent a broad spectrum of political entities, including alliances, parties, and independent lists, all vying for seats in the November elections.

The statement explained that the Commission has begun forwarding the names of registered candidates to the relevant authorities to verify their legal and procedural eligibility. These authorities include the Ministries of Defence, Interior, Education, and Higher Education, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Integrity Commission, the Accountability and Justice Commission, the Criminal Evidence Directorate, and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Interior, among others.

IHEC spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai previously told PUKMEDIA that “160 alliances, parties, and individual lists have submitted their nominations to participate in the elections scheduled for November.” She noted that the candidate vetting process would take approximately one month.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has formally submitted its list of candidates to the IHEC. Approximately 200 PUK candidates will compete in the provinces of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Dohuk, Kirkuk, Diyala, Nineveh, Saladin, and Baghdad.

The Iraqi parliamentary elections are scheduled for 11 November 2025, a date formally approved by the Federal Council of Ministers in April during a session chaired by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani. IHEC has confirmed its readiness to conduct the elections, which will be held across more than 8,700 polling centres and over 40,000 polling stations nationwide.



PUKMEDIA