Iraq’s 7,745 election candidates: What You Need to Know
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) released detailed statistics on the candidates competing in Iraq’s parliamentary elections, which began nationwide today, November 11, 2025.
According to IHEC data, 7,745 candidates are running across Iraq’s 18 provinces for 329 parliamentary seats. Of these, 5,498 are men and 2,247 are women.
The figures show that 4,445 candidates are running under electoral coalitions, 3,225 under political parties, and 75 as independents, including 13 women and 62 men.
IHEC also confirmed that 53 individuals are contesting seats allocated under Iraq’s minority quota system — with 19 candidates for the Christian quota, 14 for the Mandaean Sabian quota, 7 for the Yazidi quota, 4 for the Shabak quota, and 9 for the Feyli Kurdish quota.
Baghdad recorded the highest number of candidates with 2,293 contenders, followed by Dhi Qar with 569, and Basra with 568. The lowest numbers were registered in Maysan with 141 and Duhok with 59.
253 are running in Al-Anbar and 474 in Babil. In the Kurdistan Region, Erbil, 108 candidates are participating, while Al-Sulaymaniyah has 135 candidates, and Kirkuk has 249 contenders.
Today’s general vote follows the special voting held on November 9 for members of the security forces, displaced persons, and hospital patients. Polling centers across the country opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 6 p.m., under full supervision by IHEC and monitored by local and international observers.
Read more: Iraq’s 2025 poll: +21M voters, new law, fading monitors, and fierce bloc rivalries
