Nineveh elections: Alliances allege "Grave Violations"

Shafaq News/ The National Resolve Alliance (Al-Hasm Al-Watani), led by Iraq’s Defense Minister Thabit Al-Abbasi, voiced serious concerns on Thursday over what it described as “grave electoral violations” in Nineveh province.

During a press conference in Mosul, Al-Abbasi stated that documented electoral breaches were discussed in a joint meeting between the National Resolve Alliance and the Nineveh For Its People (Ninawa Li Ahliha) coalition.

He added that both alliances agreed to convey these concerns and obstacles directly to the federal government, particularly Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. Al-Abbasi also emphasized the importance of updating biometric voter cards and encouraging broad participation from Nineveh residents in the upcoming elections.

For his part, Najm Al-Jubouri — head of the Nineveh For Its People list and former governor of Nineveh — described the upcoming vote as “decisive,” warning that the province could either preserve its identity or fall under the influence of external forces.

“We are monitoring attempts to buy electoral cards for large sums of money,” Al-Jubouri said, urging Mosul residents to vote and “protect their identity.”

MP Nayef Al-Shammari stressed that the doors of both alliances remain open to candidates “from Nineveh and for Nineveh,” reiterating their intent to pursue legal action over the violations — especially vote buying and card sales.

In the same context, MP Mohammed Nouri Al-Abed Rabbo cautioned that previous elections negatively impacted the provincial council due to the election of unqualified individuals. He further warned that 24 external electoral lists are now seeking to dominate Nineveh “to seize its land, factories, and resources.”

Notably, the two coalitions will run separately in the upcoming elections. Following a joint leadership meeting, the sides agreed to compete with two independent lists while maintaining “coordination and cooperation.”