Iraqi parliament convenes to vote on provincial election law amid controversy

Shafaq News/ Iraqi lawmakers convened a session on Sunday evening to complete the vote on the third amendment to the law on the elections of provincial councils.

The session was attended by 189 deputies.

Last week, the parliament voted on seven articles out of 15, including the formation of the next parliament with 329 seats, the same number as the current parliament, and the approval of the date for provincial council elections on 6-11-2023.

The parliament also voted to adopt a representation formula of 1.7 according to the Sainte-Lague system. This move has stirred controversy among activists and independent lawmakers who consider it a law tailored to suit the prevailing powers in the country, as it reintroduces the single-district system.

The Sainte-Lague method is a mathematical calculation used to distribute the votes of voters in countries that operate under a proportional representation system. It relies on dividing the votes of alliances by the number 1.4 in ascending order. In this case, smaller alliances have a chance to win. However, Iraq previously used a divisor of 1.9, which increased the chances of success for larger political entities at the expense of individual candidates and emerging smaller entities.

The amendment to the law on provincial council elections has been a contentious issue in Iraq, as it seeks to address the concerns of smaller political entities, who have long argued that the current system is unfair and disadvantages them. However, critics argue that the new law could potentially strengthen the hold of existing powerhouses and prevent the emergence of new political forces. The debate over the issue is expected to continue in the coming weeks.