Iraqi women join the race, yet real power remains out of reach
Shafaq News
Iraq is heading toward its November 11, 2025, parliamentary elections with a record number of women in the race — 2,248 candidates competing for 83 quota-reserved seats. Behind these figures lies a pivotal question: can numerical representation evolve into genuine political influence?
When Representation Isn’t Power
Over the past two decades, Iraq’s quota system has secured women’s presence in parliament but not necessarily their influence. Political analyst Nawal al-Moussawi told Shafaq News that despite the higher participation — up from around 951 female candidates in the 2021 elections — “most women remain bound by party frameworks that restrict their independence.” She described the quota as “a political guarantee of presence rather than autonomy, as each candidate operates within her bloc’s strategic agenda.”
According to al-Moussawi, even religious blocs now nominate women primarily to benefit from the quota rather than to empower them, with nearly three-quarters of the women’s seats reinforcing established hierarchies instead of challenging them.
Institutions That Only Protect Seats
Nibras Abu Suda, deputy spokesperson for the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), confirmed to Shafaq News that women’s representation will not drop below 25 percent of the 329-seat legislature, noting that minority allocations remain outside the quota system. She considered the surge in female candidates “a sign of growing awareness and readiness to participate,” yet stressed that empowerment “requires a political environment that safeguards freedom of opinion and decision.”
From the commission’s media team, Hassan Hadi Zayer pointed out that no officially registered women’s parties will participate in the upcoming vote — a sign, he said, of the fragility of independent female political movements.
Read more: Iraqi women and ballot paradox: Why they vote formen more than women
A New Generation Steps Forward
Observers see the 2025 elections as a potential shift from presence to power, after successive parliaments where quota seats often cemented party dominance. Among the emerging figures is Anwar al-Khafaji, who views this race as a test of renewal. She told Shafaq News that many candidates are deliberately distancing themselves from parties that “failed to meet the aspirations of women and voters alike.”
Al-Khafaji said her campaign centers on competence, integrity, and proximity to citizens’ daily concerns. “We are focusing on services, justice, and genuine empowerment — not symbolic participation,” she explained, emphasizing her outreach to youth and women through direct engagement in electoral programs.
Beyond the Numbers
Two decades after its introduction, Iraq’s quota system remains a double-edged tool — ensuring visibility but not necessarily voice. The surge of new candidates may redefine representation if they can assert agency within a political structure still designed to limit it.
As campaigns intensify, the outcome of the 2025 elections — in which more than 21.4 million registered voters are eligible to cast ballots — will determine whether Iraq’s female contenders can move from quota-based participation to a truly independent role in shaping national policy.
Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.
Read more: Quotas without a cause: Iraqi Women counted, rights discounted
