UN will deploy 800 officials to monitor elections in Iraq plenglish.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from plenglish.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Iraq’s new political parties seek funds from citizens New parties have an uphill battle to compete in Iraq s political system.
Ambulances drive past anti-government protesters during a demonstration in front of the Dhi Qar Municipal council in Iraq s southern city of Nasiriyah on Feb. 27, 2021, following the deadliest day in a week of violence in the city that left four anti-government protesters dead.
April 13, 2021
Political parties emanating from the protests that shook Iraq in October 2019 are dealing with financial crises that have delayed their registration with the Independent High Electoral Commission. Still, they have taken a new path to finance themselves, banking on private contributions from citizens.
On 24 December 2019, the Iraqi parliament approved a new electoral law. However, it took over 11 months for President Barham Salih to ratify it as parliament fought over an annex to the law defining Iraqâs electoral districts.
The law, which the president finally ratified with reservation (hyperlink in Arabic) in early November 2020, is a complete departure from those passed since 2003 and which were used to organize four parliamentary elections between 2005 and 2018. Instead of adopting one electoral district as in the 2005 elections â the first after the 2003 Iraq invasion â or designating each of Iraqâs 18 governorates as a single district like in the three subsequent elections, this new law divides Iraq into 83 electoral districts. These districts are based on the number of quota seats set aside for women in parliament, as the Constitution requires that 25% of the parliamentâs 329 seats be designated for women.