Iraqi court reinstates ousted Azm candidate

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s Judicial Election Authority on Sunday overturned the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) decision barring Kirkuk candidate Saddam Hussein Habib Abdel Naimi from running in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The ruling found that the Commission’s decision No. 69, dated October 10, 2025, violated applicable laws and regulations. It also determined that the exclusion of Azm Alliance candidate Abdel Naimi lacked sufficient legal justification and ordered its annulment.

Azm, a Sunni alliance led by Muthanna al-Samarrai, operates mainly in the provinces of Saladin (Baiji, al-Shirqat, Samarra) and parts of Nineveh. The bloc relies on local and tribal networks and seeks to play a negotiating role in parliament.

Iraq is scheduled to hold its parliamentary elections on November 11, with 21.4 million voters expected to cast ballots.

Since the start of the nomination process, IHEC has issued several exclusion lists, removing 786 applicants. Some were disqualified under the Accountability and Justice Law, while others were barred due to criminal convictions or other legal grounds.

Read more: Disqualified candidates: Iraq's electoral body under fire