IHEC disqualifies +30 candidates ahead of November's election

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) on Sunday approved the exclusion of 37 new candidates from the upcoming parliamentary elections.

A well-informed source told Shafaq News that IHEC has also decided to bar current MP Sajjad Salem, representing Wasit province, though his name was not included in the official list.

The move adds to more than 500 individuals already barred in recent days for reasons ranging from criminal records, corruption allegations, to breaches of de-Baathification procedures and incomplete documentation, including missing educational certificates.

Iraq is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on November 11, 2025, with campaigning set to begin on October 8 and continue until a day before special voting. About 30 million Iraqis are eligible to participate, while 31 electoral alliances, 38 political parties, and 79 independent candidates — 23 in general constituencies and 56 representing minority components — will contest the polls.