The Arab League issues its preliminary statement on monitoring the 2025 Iraqi Parliament elections
The Arab League mission to monitor the 2025 Iraqi House of Representatives elections issued its preliminary statement, within the framework of the League’s keenness to support the democratic process and consolidate good governance, and in response to the invitation it received from the Chairman of the Independent High Electoral Commission, Omar Ahmed Mohammed.
The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, had directed the formation of a mission to monitor the Iraqi House of Representatives elections, headed by Ambassador Dr. Faed Mustafa, Assistant Secretary-General, and membership. Observers from five Arab nationalities: Palestine, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Libya.
The mission held meetings with the head of the High Commission, the electoral advisor at the United Nations mission, and a number of civil society organizations, and aimed to monitor all stages of the electoral process in accordance with international laws and standards.
The Arab League’s preliminary statement issued this evening, Wednesday, indicated that the elections were held in accordance with the Iraqi Constitution of 2005 and the amended laws of 2018. 2019 and 2023, and that the legal framework includes basic guarantees for election, candidacy and equal opportunities, while some aspects need procedural improvements.
The statement explained that the voter registration process continued for more than two and a half months, and the number of registered voters reached 21,404,291 voters, including 1,313,980 from the security forces and 26,538 displaced persons, out of a total of about 29 million eligible voters, which means that about 7.5 million did not register or update their data.
The mission recommended expanding awareness campaigns, developing expatriate voting mechanisms, and working with the results of the 2024 population census to update the electoral register.
The statement noted that the Commission provided a two-month registration period for candidates, and their number reached 7,745 candidates (2,247 women and 5,498 men) within 147 political entities, including 68 parties, 53 for minorities, and 26 for independents, to compete for 329 seats, stressing the importance of clarifying the criteria for excluding candidates and enhancing confidence in the electoral process.
The statement pointed out that the electoral campaigns continued for five weeks, starting from October 3 until the day of electoral silence, noting the disparity in spending between the candidates, which requires activating financial oversight.
The statement praised the performance of the High Elections Commission and its careful management of all stages, and its cooperation with international organizations and its keenness. On transparency, he pointed out that the mission teams participated in monitoring private and public voting, visited 17 electoral centers and 70 polling stations, and witnessed the opening, counting and sorting of four stations.
The mission confirmed that the polling stations opened at seven in the morning and the process went smoothly, with some individual cases of group voting recorded and the presence of electoral propaganda in front of some centers. The mission also noted the efficiency of the electronic devices, the safety of electoral materials, and the commitment of the staff to the procedures, and praised the role of the security forces in securing the centers and providing a safe environment for voters.
The statement stated that the polling stations closed at six in the evening, and the electronic counting and sorting was carried out strictly according to legal procedures, with some individual observations in the manual sorting.
The participation rate reached about 56%, compared to 42% in the 2021 elections. The mission confirmed that the recorded observations did not materially affect the vote. The integrity of the electoral process, and that the elections took place in a calm and orderly atmosphere that allowed voters to perform their duty freely.
At the conclusion of the statement, the Arab League mission congratulated the Republic of Iraq on the completion of this important electoral entitlement, wishing the elected House of Representatives success in achieving the aspirations of the Iraqi people towards security, stability and progress.
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