Al-Azm alliance warns of electoral pressure on Iraq’s state employees
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Political parties are using their influence in government to pressure civil servants and security personnel into backing specific candidates, a senior figure in Muthanna al-Samarrai’s Al-Azm (Determination Party) cautioned on Monday.
Bashir al-Khazraji told Shafaq News that some factions are “abusing executive authority” to manipulate the electoral process by threatening Interior and Defense Ministry staff with transfers or demotions if they don’t support targeted blocs.
Al-Khazraji argued that public appointments should reflect merit, not sectarian loyalty or political coercion. He dismissed the idea of a unified capital, stating that every party knows its base and how many seats it can realistically win on November 11.
His warning comes amid rising alarm over institutional politicization ahead of Iraq’s elections. Election monitors have reported growing cases of coercion inside state agencies, warning that unchecked interference could undermine the legitimacy of the vote.
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Al-Azm is running about 300 candidates across Sunni-majority provinces, including Baghdad, Diyala, Kirkuk, Mosul, Ramadi, and Saladin. The party expects to secure 20 to 25 seats, with key figures like Mahmoud al-Qaisi in Baghdad, Raad al-Dahlaki and Najat al-Taie in Diyala, and al-Samarrai heading the Saladin list.
Founded ahead of the 2021 elections, Al-Azm won 14 seats in its first contest after sitting out the 2018 vote.
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