Proposed legislation · State, Constitution, Justice, Rights and Governance

Electoral System, Electoral Commission and Ballot Integrity Bill

A comprehensive replacement bill unifying the principal framework for Council of Representatives elections and the Independent High Electoral Commission, and rebuilding registration, representation, voting, counting, tabulation, transparency and appeal rules on a verifiable basis.

Prepared by: Ali Zuweid

Document number: POL-03
Version: 1.0
Publication / last updated: 5 October 2026
Scope: Republic of Iraq

Executive Summary

This bill proposes comprehensive electoral legislation replacing the current fragmentation between Council of Representatives, Governorate and District Council Elections Law No. (12) of 2018, as amended, and Independent High Electoral Commission Law No. (31) of 2019, as amended, while preserving the Commission's legal personality and continuity of its staff and contracts. Reform centres on three interconnected objectives: a fairer representation system, an independent Commission accountable without political subordination, and voting and results that candidates, voters and observers can verify from the polling station to the final outcome.

For general seats, the bill uses each governorate as an electoral constituency, open lists and proportional representation under the original Sainte-Laguë formula (1, 3, 5, 7...), replacing the initial divisor (1.7) that gives larger lists a greater advantage. It retains individual candidacy and the constitutional minimum for women's representation, developing a combined safeguard beginning with at least 40% women on lists and ending with women comprising no less than one quarter of the Council of Representatives. It also lowers the candidacy age to 25 and removes the university-degree requirement as an unnecessary restriction on political rights, while keeping qualifications publicly available to voters.

The bill implements Article (49/First) of the Constitution following the availability, for the first time in decades, of a final national population census. Final results of the 2024 Population and Housing Census, announced in November 2025, put the Iraqi population at 45,778,662. Federal Supreme Court Decision 35/Federal/2017 interpreted one seat per one hundred thousand by reference to the Iraqi population, not the number of voters. The bill therefore establishes an ongoing calculation rule and sets 458 seats as the reference number for the first election meeting the transition period, with component seats included in the total. This is legislative implementation of the constitutional formula under the bill's rounding rule, not an independent political choice to enlarge the Council.

For election administration, the bill retains the judicial model at the core of the Board of Commissioners introduced by the 2019 Law, but prohibits open-ended extensions, sets a single six-year term, and separates the Board's policy and oversight role from professional electoral administration headed by an executive director selected through open competition. It also requires publication of decisions, votes, contracts and electoral data and strengthens financial auditing, integrity and conflict-of-interest safeguards.

Ballot integrity rests on a clear rule: the paper ballot is the original legal record, while electronic devices are supporting tools. The bill requires complete manual counting and tabulation at the polling station, publication of the results form image and data within 24 hours, a documented chain of custody, independent system testing, source-code escrow, and no sole supplier control over the results system. It also introduces a mandatory random audit of at least 10% of polling stations, with expanded auditing or recounting where discrepancies could change a seat.

For complaints and appeals, the bill sets decision deadlines, creates a five-judge electoral judicial panel, and makes cancellation of votes or polling stations an exceptional remedy requiring a proven material violation. It protects valid votes from being lost because of immaterial administrative errors. This policy draws on Iraq's Constitution, the Commission's regulatory experience in the 2025 elections, and observations by the European Union's 2021 election observation mission concerning results transparency, eligibility restrictions, campaign finance and dispute resolution.

Constitutional and legal context

Article (20) of the Constitution guarantees citizens, men and women, participation in public affairs and political rights, including voting, election and candidacy. Article (49/First) provides for one Council of Representatives seat per one hundred thousand of Iraq's population, with universal, secret and direct election and due regard to representation of all components. Paragraph Four of the same article requires a target of at least one quarter women. Article (56/Second) requires election of the new Council forty-five days before the previous term ends. Article (93/Seventh) gives the Federal Supreme Court jurisdiction to certify final results, while Article (102) establishes the Independent High Electoral Commission as an independent body subject to parliamentary oversight and regulated by law.

The electoral framework in force as of this document's date rests principally on Law No. (12) of 2018 as amended by Law No. (4) of 2023. That amendment reunited Council of Representatives, governorate and district council elections in one law, restored list-based allocation using divisors (1.7, 3, 5, 7, 9...), and fixed the Council at 329 seats, including 9 component seats. The Federal Supreme Court considered multiple challenges to the Third Amendment in Case 73 and joined cases/Federal/2023 and issued its final decision on 28 August 2023.

The Commission operates under Law No. (31) of 2019, which reconstituted its Board with nine members drawn from first-category judges and State Council advisers, later amended by Laws No. (34) of 2023 and No. (13) of 2024. On 13 January 2025, the Council of Representatives voted to extend the Board's work by two years, to 6 January 2027. During 2025 the Commission continued issuing detailed regulations on voter registers, seat allocation, candidate registration, campaigns, voting, counting and tabulation, complaints and appeals. Council elections were held in 2025 under that framework, and the Federal Supreme Court certified final results on 14 December 2025. By late September 2026, the Commission was actively testing use of the unified national identity card for voting with the Civil Status Directorate. The bill takes this from testing into a regulated framework for transition, integration and data protection.

The population census's implications: On 26 November 2025, the Ministry of Planning announced final 2024 census results: a total population of 46,118,793, including 45,778,662 Iraqis. Given the Federal Supreme Court's earlier interpretation of Article (49/First), relating the one-hundred-thousand standard to Iraqis rather than voters, retaining the fixed figure of 329 without legislative or constitutional action requires an explicit solution.

Legislative Gaps and Reasons for Reform

Principal gaps addressed by the bill
Area	Current position	Proposed remedy
Number of Council of Representatives seats	Fixed at 329 despite a population-linked constitutional rule and a new final census.	A calculation rule tied to the latest final census; the current reference number is 458.
Seat allocation	Modified Sainte-Laguë begins at 1.7 and favours larger lists.	Original Sainte-Laguë 1,3,5... with one governorate as the constituency for general seats.
Candidate eligibility	Age and education restrictions exceed the basic constitutional threshold.	Age 25, no university-degree requirement, and transparent qualifications.
Commissioners' tenure	Provisions and time limits have in practice produced repeated Board extensions.	One six-year term without extension, with a limited 90-day caretaker period.
Administration and implementation	Overlap between the Board and executive administration in some powers.	A policy and oversight Board and professional electoral administration led by an executive director who is not a Board member.
Identity and registration	Heavy reliance on a separate electoral card.	Transition to the unified national identity card and continuous voter registration with privacy safeguards.
Technology and results	Counting and transmission devices used with fragmented verification rules.	Paper as the legal original, complete manual counting, published station forms, at least 10% auditing, and controls on source code and suppliers.
Disputes	Multiple stages and deadlines that may be unclear to voters and contestants.	Uniform deadlines, published decisions and proportionality standards for cancelling votes and rerunning polls.

The bill does not assume Iraq's problem is purely technical. Trust is also lost when rules change close to polling day, the public cannot recalculate results from station level, spending rules cannot be monitored, or eligibility depends on conditions not directly related to sound representative functions. Reform therefore combines law, institutions, data, technology and the judiciary.

Proposed legislative policy

The document chooses reform practicable within the present constitutional structure, rather than a highly complex experimental electoral system. The governorate remains the principal parliamentary constituency and lists remain open, but original Sainte-Laguë replaces the 1.7 divisor to reduce mathematical bias towards large lists without introducing an artificial national threshold. Individual candidacy remains available, and preferential votes cannot become merely a closed party ranking.

The Commission's Board retains the judicial model established after the crisis of confidence in administration of the 2018 elections. Abrupt replacement with political quotas would revive the problem the 2019 Law sought to overcome. The bill instead addresses institutional weaknesses: the Board does not run daily operations, its term cannot be extended indefinitely, and executive administration becomes professional and stable even when Board members change.

The bill is not opposed to automation. It makes technology auditable: electronic verification, automated counting and rapid transmission are permitted, but no opaque result may lack an independently verifiable source. Every final number must trace back to a station form, paper ballot, chain of custody and amendment log.

Text of the bill

Chapter One — General Provisions

Article (1) — Title and scope

This Law shall be called the “Electoral System, Independent High Electoral Commission and Ballot Integrity Law”, hereafter “the Law”. It applies to Council of Representatives elections; governorate and district council elections in governorates not incorporated into a region; federal referendums regulated by special legislation; and the Independent High Electoral Commission's work insofar as related to its constitutional powers.

Article (2) — Definitions

For this Law, the following expressions shall have the meanings set out below, unless the context requires otherwise:

Commission: The Independent High Electoral Commission under Article (102) of the Constitution.
Board: The Commission's Board of Commissioners.
Electoral administration: The Commission's permanent professional executive apparatus.
Voter: An Iraqi citizen meeting this Law's conditions for exercising the right to vote.
Electoral constituency: A geographical or special electoral area allocated seats under this Law.
Open list: A candidate list that a voter selects and may also give a preferential vote to one of its candidates.
Single-candidate list: An individual's candidacy, treated under the applicable special provisions for seat-allocation purposes.
Ballot paper: The official paper recording the voter's choice and constituting the original legal record of the vote.
Voter register: The continuous official database of eligible voters, based on civil registration, national identity and necessary electoral data.
Polling-station result: The totals of valid and invalid votes, signatures and data recorded on the polling station's results form after counting and tabulation.
Electoral Judicial Panel: The judicial panel formed under this Law to determine electoral appeals.

Article (3) — Objectives of the Law

The Law aims to guarantee regular, free, fair and transparent elections; achieve equal voting power as far as possible; protect ballot secrecy and free choice; regulate an independent, professional Commission; establish stable electoral-system rules; provide verifiable oversight of registration, voting, counting, tabulation and aggregation; and secure effective and rapid review and appeal remedies.

Article (4) — Governing principles

Universal, secret, direct and regular suffrage, and equal political rights without unlawful discrimination.
The Commission's independence and neutrality, without direction by any authority, party or candidate in technical, judicial or operational decisions.
Independent verifiability, auditing and review of every substantive electoral stage.
Priority for examinable paper evidence when supporting electronic systems are used.
Proportionate restrictions and penalties; voting or candidacy rights restricted only by law and for a legitimate constitutional necessity.
Accessibility for persons with disabilities, displaced persons and groups facing practical barriers to participation.
Transparent finance and campaigning, and prohibition of state resources or public force being used to benefit an electoral contestant.

Article (5) — Stability of electoral rules

A substantial amendment changing seat calculations, constituency boundaries, Board composition or fundamental candidacy conditions shall not apply to an election scheduled less than twelve months after its entry into force. It shall apply to the following election, unless necessary to implement a final Federal Supreme Court judgment or remove an urgent constitutional impediment.

Article (6) — Date of Council of Representatives elections

The new Council of Representatives shall be elected forty-five days before the preceding electoral term ends, under Article (56/Second) of the Constitution. Polling day shall be fixed at least one hundred and eighty days in advance, with a single general polling day throughout the Republic of Iraq.

Article (7) — Institutional neutrality

Federal and local authorities, armed forces, security agencies and public departments shall maintain complete neutrality towards contestants. Office, public funds, vehicles, buildings, government databases and official influence shall not be used for promotion, pressure or mobilisation for a list or candidate.

Article (8) — Language and accessibility

The Commission's essential materials shall be published in Arabic and Kurdish, with guidance in local component languages where needed. The Commission shall make registration, information, polling centres and electoral materials accessible to persons with disabilities, including reasonable accommodation and accessible secret-voting arrangements.

Article (9) — Transparency and open data

Board decisions, regulations, instructions, timetables, registration and turnout data, polling-station results and declared electoral expenditure are public information. They shall be published in machine-readable formats, protecting personal and security data whose disclosure is unnecessary.

Chapter Two — Independent High Electoral Commission

Article (10) — Constitutional nature of the Commission

The Commission is an independent, neutral body with legal personality and financial and administrative independence. It is subject to parliamentary oversight in the sense of general scrutiny and accountability, without administrative subordination or interference in electoral decisions. Its headquarters shall be in Baghdad, with governorate offices as needed.

Article (11) — Components of the Commission

The Commission shall comprise: First — the Board of Commissioners; Second — permanent professional electoral administration; Third — governorate offices and formations approved in its organisational structure. No parallel formation outside that structure may perform an essential electoral function.

Article (12) — Composition of the Board of Commissioners

The Board shall consist of nine full-time members: five first-category judges nominated by the Supreme Judicial Council from different appellate jurisdictions; two first-category judges nominated by the Judicial Council in the Kurdistan Region; and two State Council advisers. Selection shall be by public drawing of lots among eligible nominees under this Law.

Article (13) — Representation of women

Women shall comprise at least one third of the Board. Nominating bodies shall submit sufficient qualified women to achieve that proportion in the draw. Where necessary, a seat's draw shall be repeated solely to achieve the minimum, without compromising competence or legal requirements.

Article (14) — Requirements for Board membership

Be Iraqi, have full legal capacity and actually reside in Iraq.
Have good character and integrity, be politically independent, and have neither held party leadership nor stood in a general election during the preceding four years.
Have no final conviction for a felony, misdemeanour involving dishonesty or moral turpitude, or serious financial or administrative corruption.
Not be subject to accountability and justice measures under the law in force.
Provide a declaration of financial and professional interests and the interests of a spouse and minor children on a public form, without unnecessary invasion of privacy.
Commit to full-time service throughout membership.

Article (15) — Selection method

All nominees' names and professional biographies shall be published fifteen days before the draw, with seven days for reasoned objections concerning eligibility. The Supreme Judicial Council or State Council, according to the nominating source, shall decide objections with reasons. The draw shall be attended by judiciary, media, monitoring organisations and domestic and international observers, broadcast live and recorded for retention.

Article (16) — Membership term and prohibition of extension

Board membership shall last six non-renewable years. Neither the Board nor an individual member may be extended by administrative or political decision. If successor selection is delayed, an outgoing member may continue in a caretaker capacity for no more than ninety days, limited to institutional continuity and prohibited from changing fundamental electoral rules.

Article (17) — Election of the Chair and Deputy Chair

At its first meeting, the Board shall elect a Chair and Deputy Chair from among its members by secret ballot and an absolute majority. The chairmanship shall last two years, renewable once within the membership term.

Article (18) — Powers of the Board of Commissioners

Issue electoral regulations and instructions within the Law and publish them before they take effect.
Approve the electoral timetable, voter register, lists, candidates and preliminary and final results before referral to the competent judicial or constitutional body.
Approve standards for ballot design, electronic systems, technical procedures and auditing.
Approve the Commission's budget, structure and general policies and oversee electoral administration.
Make initial determinations on complaints specified by this Law and refer crimes to competent judicial bodies.
Adopt non-discriminatory rules for observers, media and electoral entity agents.
Publish periodic reports and electoral data.

Article (19) — Limits on Board powers

The Board may not amend the electoral system, create voting or candidacy disqualifications absent from the Law, or alter seat-allocation rules, seat numbers or the substance of appeal rights through instructions or regulations. Any rule restricting a political right shall be challengeable before the Electoral Judicial Panel.

Article (20) — Head of electoral administration

Electoral administration shall be headed by an executive director-general titled “Head of Electoral Administration”, appointed by Board decision for a five-year term renewable once after an open public competition based on electoral, public administration, technological and financial experience. The Head shall not be a Board member, but shall attend meetings on executive matters without voting rights.

Article (21) — Duties of electoral administration

Prepare and update the voter register and operate registration and polling centres.
Manage personnel, training, logistics, procurement and warehouses.
Operate information systems, communications and data centres under cybersecurity rules.
Prepare preliminary results, detailed data and technical reports for the Board.
Implement decisions of the Electoral Judicial Panel and competent courts.
Retain electoral materials and records for the statutory periods.

Article (22) — Professional recruitment

Commission employment shall follow merit, competition and neutrality. Appointment, promotion or transfer based on party, ethnic or sectarian affiliation is prohibited. Staff in sensitive positions shall sign neutrality and conflict-of-interest declarations. Instructions shall establish appropriate cooling-off periods for former party officeholders.

Article (23) — Financial independence

The Commission shall prepare its annual draft budget and submit it to the Council of Representatives through the constitutional general-budget process. Electoral appropriations shall have a clear, dedicated heading. Funding needed to hold a constitutional election on time may not be withheld. Accounts shall be subject to the Federal Board of Supreme Audit and Integrity Commission within their respective powers.

Article (24) — Electoral procurement

Devices, software, ballot papers and logistics services shall be procured through public competition and published specifications, with narrow security and confidentiality exceptions that do not prevent auditing. Contracts, values, supplier names and beneficial owners shall be disclosed after award, excluding details whose disclosure would directly create a specific, substantiated technical risk.

Article (25) — Internal audit and integrity

An independent internal audit and integrity unit shall be established within the Commission, reporting administratively to the Board and entitled to access records, contracts and systems. It shall submit quarterly reports to the Board and Federal Board of Supreme Audit and provide a safe reporting channel, with workplace retaliation prohibited.

Article (26) — Meetings and decisions

Board meetings on general regulatory matters shall be public. A part may be closed by reasoned decision to protect system security, personal data or investigative confidentiality. Minutes, decisions and voting results shall be published within three working days, identifying members' votes on regulatory decisions.

Article (27) — Recusal and conflicts of interest

A Board member or relevant employee shall not participate in a decision concerning a spouse, relative up to the fourth degree, direct financial or professional interest, or an organisation that employed them during the preceding three years where this could raise reasonable doubts about impartiality. Recusal shall be minuted.

Article (28) — Termination of membership and removal

A commissioner's membership shall end early upon accepted resignation, loss of an essential requirement, established permanent medical incapacity, or a final conviction for a felony, an offence involving dishonesty or moral turpitude, or corruption. A Board member or members may be removed after parliamentary questioning under the constitutional mechanism and majority governing accountability of heads of independent bodies, upon proof of a serious or repeated unlawful breach of duty. Mere disagreement by Parliament or another authority with an electoral decision taken in good faith within a member's powers shall not justify removal.

Article (29) — Parliamentary oversight

The Council of Representatives shall oversee the Commission through discussion of reports and the budget, inviting the Board Chair and Head of Electoral Administration and holding them accountable for performance and expenditure, without issuing orders on candidate admission, results, complaints or technical procedures in an ongoing election.

Chapter Three — Voters, Electoral Registration and Identity

Article (30) — Voter requirements

Every Iraqi aged eighteen on polling day and entered in the voter register may vote. Disability or a need for decision-making support shall not deprive anyone of the vote. The right may be suspended only by a final judgment depriving political rights for a specified reason and period under the law.

Article (31) — Continuous voter register

The Commission shall establish a continuous integrated register based primarily on unified national identity card, civil registration, death and official demographic-change data. It shall be updated regularly with the Ministry of Interior, Statistics and Geographic Information Systems Authority and competent bodies. Integration shall give no body a right to use voter data outside a specified lawful purpose.

Article (32) — Electoral identification

The unified national identity card shall become the principal polling identification after linkage with the electoral register and biometric verification where available. Separate electoral cards shall be phased out within two years of the Law's entry into force, with temporary alternatives preventing exclusion of eligible voters whose national cards remain incomplete for reasons beyond their control.

Article (33) — Biometric data

The Commission shall collect only biometric data needed to prevent duplication and verify identity, storing them with encryption and approved security standards. Sharing for party, commercial or general security purposes unrelated to an electoral crime and unsupported by a judicial order is prohibited. Published regulations shall define retention, deletion and audit rules.

Article (34) — Public review of the register

In each election year, the Commission shall provide at least thirty days to verify entries and submit corrections and objections. Each voter shall have secure access to verify their electoral status without disclosure to others. Parties and observers shall receive aggregate statistics and audit lists stripped of sensitive data under privacy safeguards.

Article (35) — Displaced voters

Displaced voters shall be able to vote where they actually reside for the constituency determined by law according to their original or current address, preventing duplicate votes and facilitating participation. The Commission shall use current official data and shall not require an outdated administrative status where displacement or residence can be established through other reliable means.

Article (36) — Iraqis abroad

In-person voting abroad may be organised at accredited centres in diplomatic missions or secure sites meeting secrecy, observation and chain-of-custody requirements, if the Board determines technical and financial capacity one hundred and eighty days before polling. Internet or postal voting shall not be adopted unless later legislation establishes specific technical and judicial safeguards.

Article (37) — Special voting

Special voting may take place forty-eight hours early for military and security personnel and others whose service necessitates it, using a closed register supplied by official bodies sixty days in advance. They shall be temporarily removed from the general-voting register. Voting inside military units is prohibited except for extreme operational necessity. Biometric and technical matching shall prevent duplication.

Article (38) — Prisoners and detainees

Remand detainees and persons not deprived of political rights by final judgment retain the vote. The Commission, with the Supreme Judicial Council and Ministries of Justice and Interior, shall arrange safe, secret voting in detention facilities.

Article (39) — Accessibility for persons with disabilities

Polling centres shall be accessible as far as possible, providing templates or aids for blind and partially sighted voters, sign-language information and easy-read formats where needed. A voter requiring help may choose a trusted assistant while preserving secrecy. A station-appointed assistant may not be imposed except where no alternative exists and the voter consents.

Article (40) — Closing the register

The register shall close for voting thirty days before election day after publication of final statistics. Subsequent changes shall be limited to judicial or technical corrections that create no duplicate registration. A complete audit trail of every change shall be retained.

Chapter Four — Seat Numbers, Constituencies and the Electoral System

Article (41) — Number of Council of Representatives members

The Council shall have one seat per one hundred thousand Iraqis under the latest official final census available at least eighteen months before polling. A remainder of fifty thousand or more shall be rounded up to a seat. Based on the final Iraqi population of (45,778,662) in the 2024 Population and Housing Census, the reference number for the first election after this Law enters into force shall be (458) seats, unless newer applicable official data are published before the prescribed cutoff.

Article (42) — General and component seats

Component seats shall be included in the Council's total. Nine protected seats shall be reserved: five for Christians and one each for Yazidis, Sabian-Mandaeans, Shabak and Faili Kurds. After each census, Parliament shall review their distribution through public consultation with the components, preserving effective representation and their rights.

Article (43) — Parliamentary constituencies

Each governorate shall form one constituency for its general seats. Total general seats shall be apportioned among governorates by resident Iraqi population under the latest final census, using largest remainders after calculating each governorate's proportional share. If a governorate is created after the census reference date, the Statistics and Geographic Information Systems Authority shall reaggregate census-block data within its legal boundaries and adjust affected governorates' figures without changing the national population total. The Commission shall publish the complete allocation table, calculations and reference data one year before polling.

Article (44) — Population equality safeguard

Differences in population per seat between governorates shall not exceed those arising from normal mathematical rounding. A major officially established demographic change shall lead to reallocation for the following term without changing governorate administrative boundaries.

Article (45) — Parliamentary electoral system

General seats in each governorate shall be allocated to open lists and single-candidate lists using original Sainte-Laguë, dividing each list's valid votes successively by (1, 3, 5, 7, 9...) and selecting the highest quotients until seats are exhausted. No opening divisor above one shall be used.

Article (46) — Preferential vote

A voter shall vote for one list and may give one preferential vote to a candidate within it. Winning candidates within a list shall rank by valid preferential votes from highest to lowest. A vote without a candidate preference remains valid for the list.

Article (47) — Single-candidate lists

Individual candidacy is permitted. A single-candidate list participates in allocation by the same method. If its votes produce a winning quotient, the candidate gains the seat; remaining votes shall not transfer to another person.

Article (48) — Women's quota

Seat allocation shall ensure women hold at least twenty-five per cent of all Council seats, applying the proportion in each governorate as far as mathematically possible. If direct results fall short, the last male seats within each winning list shall be replaced by its highest-voted women until the minimum is reached, without changing the list's seat total.

Article (49) — List ordering and nomination of women

Women shall comprise at least forty per cent of candidates on each multi-name list, with no more than two consecutive candidates of the same sex in its nominal order. That ordering shall not override preferential votes when identifying winners except as necessary to implement the preceding Article.

Article (50) — Component seats

The Republic of Iraq shall form a single constituency for each component-seat contest under Article (42), with individual candidacies. The five Christian seats go to the five candidates with the highest valid vote totals nationwide; each other component seat goes to its contest's highest-voted candidate. Component constituencies may not be geographically divided so as to restrict candidacy or voting contrary to Federal Supreme Court Decision 73 and joined cases/Federal/2023. Each voter may cast one vote, either in their general constituency contest or one component contest, preventing two votes from counting towards Council seat allocation.

Article (51) — Governorate council elections

Each governorate not incorporated into a region shall be one constituency for its council election. Seats shall use open lists and original Sainte-Laguë under Article (45), observing women's quotas and component seats under laws in force. Council size shall follow the Governorates Not Incorporated into a Region Law and latest official census.

Article (52) — Replacement of members

A vacancy from a multi-candidate list shall be filled by its next-highest-voted candidate in the same constituency, preserving minimum women's representation and component seats. A vacant single-candidate seat shall go to the unsuccessful list or candidate with the highest quotient qualifying for the constituency's next seat, through recalculation that changes no other seats except as necessary to fill the vacancy.

Chapter Five — Nominations, Lists and Eligibility

Article (53) — Parliamentary candidate requirements

Be Iraqi, have full legal capacity and be twenty-five on polling day.
Be entered in the voter register.
Have no final conviction for a serious intentional felony, corruption or an offence involving dishonesty or moral turpitude, unless rehabilitated under the law.
Not be subject to the Accountability and Justice Law or another constitutional disqualification in force.
Not be serving in the armed forces or security agencies, as a judge, or as a Commission member or employee at nomination, unless that relationship lawfully ends before nominations close.
Submit interests and financial declarations under applicable laws.

No university degree is required. Educational and professional qualifications shall be disclosed to voters as information, not eligibility conditions.

Article (54) — Non-discrimination in eligibility

A candidate may not be excluded for religion, denomination, ethnicity, sex, disability, peaceful political opinion or social affiliation, nor for a non-final judgment or unresolved accusation. Disqualifications shall be construed narrowly to preserve the essence of political rights.

Article (55) — Submission of lists

Parties, alliances and lists shall apply for registration within published periods, specifying a name, symbol, authorised representative and electoral bank account. A multi-candidate list shall contain at least three candidates and no more than twice the constituency's seats, subject to women's representation requirements.

Article (56) — Support for an individual candidate

An individual candidate shall provide endorsements from no fewer than three hundred and no more than five hundred registered constituency voters. The Commission shall electronically verify absence of duplication while protecting endorsers' identities from publication. Signatures may not be used to establish loyalty or prevent a voter from endorsing more than one candidacy application.

Article (57) — Examination and approval

The Commission shall examine a complete nomination within ten working days. A remediable deficiency shall be given three working days for correction. Refusal shall state reasons, the legal provision and facts, be served electronically and on paper, and be open to appeal.

Article (58) — Candidate eligibility appeals

A candidate, list or person with a direct interest may appeal acceptance or refusal to the Electoral Judicial Panel within three days of service or publication. The Panel shall rule within seven days, finally for the nomination stage, without prejudice to Federal Supreme Court jurisdiction.

Article (59) — Withdrawal and substitution

Withdrawal is permitted before approval of the final ballot under Commission deadlines. Thereafter, substitution is allowed only for death, incapacity or a final judgment creating disqualification, provided voters retain reasonable time to know the contestants.

Article (60) — Disclosure to voters

The Commission shall publish a standard page for each candidate with name, photograph, constituency, political affiliation, declared qualifications, previous occupation, summary interests declaration, any judicial record relevant to eligibility, and official campaign account links, excluding personal data unrelated to the election.

Article (61) — Prohibition of sham candidacy and vote transfers

Registering a sham candidate to circumvent spending limits, women's representation or seat allocation, or artificially transfer votes, is prohibited. The Judicial Panel shall determine serious allegations after hearing the parties. No candidacy or seat may be cancelled without clear evidence and a reasoned decision.

Article (62) — Public employment and candidacy

A civil servant whose position permits use of public resources or direct authority over the public shall take unpaid electoral leave from the official campaign's beginning until preliminary results. Instructions shall identify leadership posts whose holders must cease exercising their powers during the campaign.

Article (63) — Candidate ethical rules

Candidates shall sign a legally binding code prohibiting vote-buying, threats, incitement to violence, use of armed groups or military displays, and hate speech prohibited by law. The code shall not restrict political criticism, journalism or peaceful expression.

Chapter Six — Campaigns, Finance and Media

Article (64) — Campaign period

Campaigning shall begin on the date set by the Commission after final candidate approval and end twenty-four hours before general polling starts. The Commission may not shorten it in a manner undermining equal opportunity.

Article (65) — Equal opportunity

Public institutions and publicly funded media shall treat contestants in a balanced manner under published professional standards. Balance does not require rigid arithmetic equality in news coverage, but prohibits political discrimination and partisan propaganda using a public platform.

Article (66) — Use of Public Resources

The use of state funds, employees, vehicles, buildings, advertising, assistance programmes or beneficiary databases for electoral purposes is prohibited. Ordinary governmental activities shall not constitute campaigning if they are necessary for public service and involve neither electoral promotion nor discrimination between contestants.

Article (67) — Campaign Bank Account

Every list and single candidate shall manage all campaign income and expenditure through an electoral bank account disclosed to the Commission. Political finance regulations shall determine restrictions on donation sources. Until those regulations enter into force, the provisions of this Law prohibiting public funds, foreign funds prohibited by law, and anonymous donations above the small-value threshold set by the Commission shall apply.

Article (68) — Spending Limit

Six months before polling, the Commission shall issue instructions setting spending limits for each list and candidate under a general formula comprising a basic amount and an amount per registered voter in the constituency, taking account of geographical outreach costs and inflation. The formula and the data on which it is based shall be published and may not be amended during the campaign.

Article (69) — Financial Disclosure

Lists and candidates shall submit interim reports during the campaign and a final report within thirty days of polling day, stating income, expenditure, debts and in-kind donations. The Commission shall publish the essential information in a searchable electronic register while protecting bank details whose disclosure is unnecessary.

Article (70) — Digital Political Advertising

Anyone purchasing paid political advertising shall disclose the payer, expenditure, period and target audience. The Commission shall establish a public register of advertisements for which it receives data from campaigns and cooperating platforms. This Article does not confer any power of prior censorship over opinion or political criticism.

Article (71) — Opinion Polls

Opinion polls may be published provided that the funder, conducting organisation, sample size and method, data collection date and margin of error are disclosed. Publishing fabricated results with knowledge that no actual poll took place is prohibited. A violation shall be established judicially.

Article (72) — Protection against Coercion

No employer, official, tribal sheikh, religious figure, armed commander or other person may use threats, deprivation of an entitlement, or official or social influence to compel a voter to vote, abstain or reveal their choice. Persuasion or an expression of support shall not constitute coercion unless accompanied by a threat or an unlawful benefit.

Article (73) — Vote Buying

Providing or offering money, a gift, a service or a promise of a specific personal benefit in return for voting, abstaining or influencing a voter's choice is prohibited. This does not include a general political programme or humanitarian assistance provided under established criteria predating the campaign by an entity that does not discriminate between beneficiaries on the basis of their electoral position.

Article (74) — Campaigning in Neutral Institutions

Electoral campaigning is prohibited inside barracks, security facilities, courts, polling centres, educational institutions during official working hours, hospitals and offices providing direct public services. This shall not prevent candidates from having equal access to public halls made available to all contestants under uniform rules.

Article (75) — Campaign Silence Period

Paid advertising and organised campaign gatherings shall cease twenty-four hours before general polling begins and remain suspended until it closes. The prohibition shall not extend to unpaid personal expression, professional journalistic coverage or the circulation of public information, unless another violation specified by law is involved.

Chapter Seven — Voting, Counting, Tabulation, Results and Technology

Article (76) — The Ballot Paper as the Original Legal Record

An official paper ballot shall be used in all elections covered by this Law. Once deposited in the ballot box, the paper shall constitute the original legal record of the vote. Electronic devices may be used for identification, counting or transmitting results as auditable supporting tools and shall not replace paper evidence.

Article (77) — Ballot Paper Design

The ballot paper shall be clear and understandable and shall display lists and candidates in an order determined by a public draw. It shall be tested in advance with samples of voters, including persons with disabilities. Its design may not confer a visual advantage on any contestant.

Article (78) — Opening Polling Stations

The polling station shall open in the presence of staff and any contestant agents and observers who wish to attend. The empty ballot box, seal numbers and number of ballot papers received shall be recorded in an opening report signed by staff, a copy of which shall be made available to agents.

Article (79) — Voter Identity Verification

Polling station staff shall verify identity and registration before issuing a ballot paper, using biometric verification where available. Failure of a single device shall not disenfranchise a voter if identity can be verified through a secure, documented backup method that prevents duplicate voting.

Article (80) — Secrecy of the Ballot

The voter shall make their choice alone in a place that conceals their ballot from others. Photographing the ballot inside the polling booth, or requiring the voter to show it or prove their choice, is prohibited. Any instruction or practice allowing a vote to be traced to its voter shall be void.

Article (81) — Observers and Agents

Accredited domestic and international observers and agents of lists and candidates shall be entitled to attend every stage of station opening, polling, counting, tabulation, aggregation and auditing from a distance that permits observation without interference. They may be removed only for a specific violation threatening order or secrecy, and the reason shall be recorded in writing.

Article (82) — Close of Polling

At closing time, voters already queuing within the polling centre perimeter shall be allowed to vote. The station shall then close, and the number of voters who signed the register and the quantities of used, unused and spoiled ballot papers shall be recorded before the ballot box is opened.

Article (83) — Full Manual Counting and Tabulation

All ballot papers shall be counted and tabulated manually at the polling station immediately after closing, in the presence of observers and agents. If an electronic counting device is used, its result shall be compared with the manual result. In the event of a discrepancy, the manual result documented by the ballot papers shall prevail after completion of the audit.

Article (84) — Results Form

The station result shall be recorded on a standard original form showing votes for each list and candidate, invalid and unused ballot papers, the number of voters, and any discrepancies or observations. The station head and staff shall sign it. Any refusal to sign shall be recorded without invalidating the form, and copies or certified images shall be provided to agents present.

Article (85) — Publication of the Station Result

A copy of the results form shall be displayed prominently at the polling centre as soon as counting is complete, and a signed digital image shall be sent to the aggregation centre. The Commission shall publish the image and numerical data for each station on its website within twenty-four hours of receipt, unless prevented by a documented system-wide failure.

Article (86) — Chain of Custody

The movement of ballot boxes, papers, devices and storage media from the station to the warehouse or audit centre shall be documented using numbered seals, time logs, signatures and auditable receipts. An unexplained break in the chain of custody shall trigger an audit but shall not automatically invalidate votes unless it undermines their reliability.

Article (87) — Electronic Transmission of Results

Polling station results may be transmitted electronically over a secure network after the paper form has been retained. Encryption, digital signatures and tamper-proof audit logs shall be used, and an independent copy of the original data shall be preserved. No final result shall be announced solely on the basis of electronic transmission without reconciliation against paper forms.

Article (88) — System Testing

Voting and counting devices and software shall undergo disclosed functional and security acceptance tests before use, logic and accuracy testing before every election, and an independent audit afterwards. The Commission shall give accredited experts and entities access to specifications and test results without disclosing operational security keys.

Article (89) — Source Code and Suppliers

The source code of core software and its operational versions shall be deposited with a trusted governmental body or an independent escrow repository within Iraq, and its digital hash shall be recorded before and after polling. No foreign or domestic supplier may retain sole administrative control over the results system during the electoral process.

Article (90) — Auditing and Recounts

The Commission shall conduct a mandatory audit of a random sample comprising at least ten per cent of stations in each governorate, in addition to stations exhibiting discrepancies or risk indicators. If the audit identifies a pattern capable of changing the allocation of at least one seat, the sample shall be expanded or a full constituency recount ordered.

Article (91) — Aggregation

Results shall be aggregated from station to centre and then to governorate level using published data that allow the public to reproduce the calculation. No figure may be entered manually into the aggregation database without linking it to a specific station form and a log identifying the employee, time and reason for the amendment.

Article (92) — Preliminary Results

The Commission shall publish preliminary results progressively after the minimum reconciliation checks have been completed, stating the proportions of stations received and outstanding and without describing partial results as final. At the same time, it shall publish a list of stations held for audit and the reasons for doing so.

Article (93) — Final Results and Referral for Ratification

After complaints and appeals have been determined and judicial amendments implemented, the Board of Commissioners shall approve the final results naming the winners and transmit them to the Federal Supreme Court for ratification of the final Council of Representatives election results under Article (93/Seventh) of the Constitution.

Article (94) — Retention of Electoral Materials

Original ballot papers, results records, device logs and audit files shall be retained for no less than the appeals period and ninety days after final ratification. Retention shall be extended where the materials are the subject of proceedings or investigation. Thereafter, sensitive materials shall be destroyed through a documented procedure that preserves the public archive needed for research and transparency.

Chapter Eight — Complaints, Appeals and Electoral Justice

Article (95) — Electoral Complaints

Any voter, candidate, list, agent or observer directly affected may submit an electoral complaint within the prescribed time limits. The complaint shall state the incident, place, time, remedy sought and available evidence. It shall not be rejected on formal grounds for a non-substantive error that can be rectified.

Article (96) — Classification of Complaints

Complaints shall be classified as procedural violations that do not affect the result, violations that may affect a station or constituency result, or electoral crimes referred to the Public Prosecution. The Commission may not use this classification to deny the right of judicial appeal.

Article (97) — Initial Determination

The Board of Commissioners or a lawfully delegated body shall determine a complaint within five days of its completion and issue a reasoned decision stating the facts, evidence, legal provision and penalty or measure. This period shall be reduced to forty-eight hours for urgent complaints on which the continuation of polling or the counting of a result depends.

Article (98) — Electoral Judicial Panel

Six months before the election date, the Supreme Judicial Council shall establish an Electoral Judicial Panel comprising five principal and two alternate judges of the first grade, none of whom works for the Commission or an electoral executive body. The Panel shall be independent in its decisions and shall have a judicial registry and technical support.

Article (99) — Appeals

Commission decisions may be appealed before the Electoral Judicial Panel within three days of notification or publication. The Panel shall determine the appeal within seven days and may hold a public hearing, hear experts and request records and devices where necessary. Its decision shall be final in matters falling outside the jurisdiction of the Federal Supreme Court.

Article (100) — Stay of Execution

An appeal shall not automatically stay execution of the decision. The Electoral Judicial Panel may order a stay where execution would cause irreparable harm, the grounds of appeal are serious and the stay would not disproportionately disrupt the election.

Article (101) — Standard for Invalidating Votes or Stations

Valid votes shall not be cancelled because of an administrative error that does not affect the voter's will. A station or group of stations shall be invalidated only where a serious violation rendering the result unreliable is established, or where the number of votes affected by the violation could change the winner or seat allocation. The measure shall be proportionate and limited to what is necessary.

Article (102) — Recounts

The Electoral Judicial Panel or Commission shall order a recount of specified ballot papers, a station or a constituency where there is a documented discrepancy, a break in the chain of custody, a statistical inconsistency or reasonable evidence of an error that may affect a seat. Recounts shall take place in the presence of agents and observers, and their records shall be published.

Article (103) — Repeat Polling

Polling shall be repeated only by judicial decision where a reliable result cannot be recovered through counting, auditing or recounting and the defect affects the result. Repeat polling shall be confined to the necessary area or stations and conducted within the shortest period compatible with proper preparation.

Article (104) — Transparency of Electoral Justice

The Electoral Judicial Panel shall publish its decisions and reasons in searchable form within twenty-four hours of issuance, withholding unnecessary personal data. The Commission shall publish, in a single database, links connecting each complaint, initial decision, appeal and related judicial judgment.

Chapter Nine — Crimes, Violations and Penalties

Article (105) — Electoral Liability

The penalties prescribed in this Chapter shall apply without prejudice to any more severe penalty under another law. The gravity of the act, the offender's official capacity and its effect on freedom of voting or the result shall be taken into account. Peaceful expression shall not attract a criminal penalty merely because it is critical or misleading unless it meets the elements of a specific offence defined by law.

Article (106) — Multiple Voting and Impersonation

Anyone who intentionally votes more than once, impersonates a voter or uses a forged document to vote shall be punished by detention for a term not exceeding three years and a fine. An employee who intentionally facilitates such conduct shall receive a more severe penalty within the limits prescribed by the Penal Code where the elements of complicity or forgery are established.

Article (107) — Vote Buying and Coercion

Anyone who provides, requests or accepts a direct personal benefit in return for voting or abstaining, or threatens a voter with unlawful harm to alter their will, shall be punished by detention for a term of one to five years and an appropriate fine. The court may disqualify a candidate finally convicted from standing for one electoral term if the act was committed for the benefit of their campaign and with their knowledge.

Article (108) — Tampering with Ballot Papers or Results

Any employee or person who, without authority and with intent to affect the result, adds, destroys or substitutes ballot papers, alters a result, form or results file, or breaks the seal of a ballot box or system shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of no less than five and no more than ten years. Being a responsible electoral employee or acting as part of an organised group shall be an aggravating circumstance permitting a sentence in the upper half of the penalty range.

Article (109) — Violation of Ballot Secrecy

Anyone who compels a voter to disclose their choice, photographs their ballot without consent or arranges a technical means of linking a voter's identity to their vote shall be punished by detention for a term not exceeding two years and a fine. Liability shall be aggravated if the offender is a polling station employee or is responsible for an electoral system.

Article (110) — Attacks on Electoral Systems

Anyone who intentionally accesses a critical electoral system without lawful authority in order to disrupt it, alter or delete its data, extract security keys or change results shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of three to ten years, without prejudice to any provision in force prescribing a more severe penalty. A security researcher operating under an approved responsible disclosure programme and remaining within its scope shall not incur liability.

Article (111) — Campaign and Finance Violations

After hearing the person concerned, the Commission shall impose graduated administrative fines for late disclosure, exceeding the spending limit, using prohibited locations or breaching advertising rules. A candidacy or seat shall not be cancelled for a financial violation except by a final judicial judgment establishing its gravity and impact or its deliberate repetition.

Article (112) — Obstructing Voters or Observers

Anyone who uses force or threats to prevent an eligible voter from reaching a polling centre, expels an accredited observer or agent without lawful cause, or intentionally causes a polling station to close unlawfully shall be punished by detention or a fine.

Article (113) — Duty to Report and Preserve Evidence

A Commission employee who discovers suspected serious criminal conduct affecting ballot boxes, results or systems shall preserve the evidence and notify the Public Prosecution, their immediate superior and the integrity unit. No employment measure may be taken against them for a report made in good faith.

Chapter Ten — Transitional and Final Provisions

Article (114) — Continuity of the Commission's Legal Personality

The Commission existing when this Law enters into force shall continue with the same legal personality. All assets, rights, obligations, contracts, employees and records shall pass to it by operation of law without liquidation or formal transfer.

Article (115) — Board in Office upon Entry into Force

The Board of Commissioners in office when this Law enters into force shall continue until the expiry of the extension approved by the Council of Representatives through 6 January 2027, unless an individual member's service ends earlier on a lawful ground specified in the legislation in force. Procedures to select the succeeding Board shall begin at least ninety days before the term expires. New members shall be subject to the six-year, non-renewable term prescribed by this Law, ensuring that no institutional vacuum arises.

Article (116) — Existing Regulations and Instructions

Electoral regulations and instructions in force before this Law shall remain applicable insofar as they do not conflict with it, until replaced. The Commission shall issue the new package of regulations within one hundred and eighty days, without changing any substantive rule for an election falling within the stability period prescribed by Article (5).

Article (117) — Application of the New Seat Total

The seat total based on the 2024 General Population and Housing Census shall apply to the first Council of Representatives election whose timetable is announced after one year has elapsed from this Law's entry into force. If an election falls sooner, the existing system shall apply to that election to avoid a late substantive change, and the new total shall apply to the following term.

Article (118) — Legislative Alignment

Within one year, the Government, Council of Representatives and Commission shall review laws referring to the repealed election or Commission laws and propose the necessary amendments to the Council of Representatives and its Formations Law, the Governorates Not Incorporated into a Region Law, the Political Parties Law, and integrity, data and criminal laws to prevent conflict and duplication.

Article (119) — Repeal and Transitional Continuation

The Council of Representatives, Governorate and District Council Elections Law No. (12) of 2018, as amended, and the Independent High Electoral Commission Law No. (31) of 2019, as amended, are repealed from the date this Law enters into force. Their provisions shall remain applicable solely to the extent necessary to complete: First — any electoral process whose timetable was announced before this Law entered into force or which is covered by the stability rule in Articles (5) and (117), until its results are finally ratified and its disputes resolved; and Second — the term of the existing Board of Commissioners until the date specified in Article (115), insofar as this does not conflict with this Law's transitional provisions. Valid procedures, rights and obligations arising before repeal shall remain effective. Any provision conflicting with this Law is repealed to the extent of that conflict.

Article (120) — Entry into Force

This Law shall be published in the Iraqi Official Gazette and enter into force thirty days after publication, subject to the transitional periods and electoral stability provisions prescribed herein.

Statement of reasons

To guarantee citizens' exercise of their political rights under Article (20) of the Constitution; implement Articles (49), (56), (93) and (102); align the number of Council of Representatives members with the population criterion following announcement of the final results of the 2024 General Population and Housing Census; achieve fairer and more stable representation; organise the Independent High Electoral Commission on the principles of independence, impartiality and professionalism; strengthen the integrity of voter registration, voting, counting, tabulation and announcement of results; establish effective guarantees of transparency and judicial oversight and prevent the use of public resources, vote buying and electronic manipulation; and consolidate fundamental provisions dispersed across several enactments into an integrated legal framework, this Law is enacted.

General Explanatory Memorandum

1. Why a Comprehensive Replacement Law?

Electoral rules have become dispersed across the amended election law, the amended Commission law and a series of regulations and instructions. Multiplicity is not inherently wrong, but substantive matters affecting political rights must remain in legislation rather than being altered by executive instructions. The Bill places eligibility, seat totals and allocation methods, Commission independence, voter registration, counting, appeals and technological safeguards in a single law, leaving operational details to instructions.

2. Seat Numbers after the 2024 Census

The Bill does not rely on a politically determined population estimate. The Ministry of Planning announced a final Iraqi population of 45,778,662. Applying the constitutional rule yields 457.786 seats, with the remainder exceeding fifty thousand rounded up to 458. To avoid a change close to an election, the Bill makes this total applicable only if a year has elapsed after the Law before the electoral timetable; otherwise, it applies in the following term. If a fixed ceiling on the number of representatives is desired in future, the safer course is an explicit constitutional amendment, rather than disregarding the constitutional formula through ordinary legislation.

3. Why the Original Sainte-Laguë Method?

The modified version beginning with 1.7 raises the effective barrier for small lists and independents. The original version is more mathematically neutral between lists, while constituency magnitude remains a natural constraint on excessive fragmentation. As the governorate is a multi-member constituency, the system preserves the local dimension and gives each list a share closer to its vote share.

4. Eligibility and Candidacy

The Bill lowers the candidacy age to 25 and removes a university degree as a legal requirement because Parliament is a body of political representation, not a profession requiring a uniform qualification. Qualifications remain disclosed to voters, while substantive disqualifications relating to corruption, crime, armed service and judicial office remain in place. This approach accords with the recommendations of the European Union mission, which called after the 2021 elections for the removal of unreasonable restrictions on the right to stand for election.

5. The Commission: Independence and Accountability

Article (102) makes the Commission independent and subject to Council of Representatives oversight. Oversight does not imply administrative subordination. The Bill therefore permits parliamentary hearings, financial auditing and discussion of the budget and reports, but prohibits Parliament or the Government from issuing orders concerning a candidate, complaint or result. It also prohibits open-ended political extensions, replacing them with a limited caretaker arrangement where a successor cannot be constituted on time.

6. Results That Can Be Reconstructed from Station Records

The central transparency test is whether an independent observer can start with the published images of station forms and arrive at the announced total. The Bill therefore requires publication of each station's data and form image and prohibits any amendment unconnected to a clear electronic log. This directly addresses the transparency problems in aggregation and announcement of results recorded by the European Union mission in 2021.

7. Technology without Surrendering Sovereignty to the Supplier

The Law addresses the most serious vulnerability in modern electoral systems: reliance on devices and software that the electoral administration cannot audit independently. It therefore requires code deposit, verification of software versions through digital hashes, a prohibition on sole supplier administrative accounts, and independent testing, while retaining paper ballots and manual counting as the legal reference.

8. Protection of Persons with Disabilities

The Bill does not tie voting rights to a broad concept of “capacity” that could automatically exclude persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities. It confines disenfranchisement to a specific judicial judgment and supports independent or assisted voting according to the voter's choice. This accords with Article (29) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and international observations addressed to Iraq concerning political participation.

Alignment with Existing Legislation

Legislation Requiring Alignment after Enactment
Legislation	Action
Council of Representatives, Governorate and District Council Elections Law No. 12 of 2018, as amended	Repeal and replacement by this Law, while preserving prior legal effects.
Independent High Electoral Commission Law No. 31 of 2019, as amended	Repeal while preserving the Commission's legal personality, employees and contracts.
Political Parties Law No. 36 of 2015	Align campaign finance, donation, accounting and disclosure rules with POL-04 once enacted.
Governorates Not Incorporated into a Region Law No. 21 of 2008, as amended	Align council membership numbers, qualifications and replacement provisions with the new local election rules.
Council of Representatives and its Formations Law and Rules of Procedure	Align replacement, first-session and register provisions with the new seat total.
Data and Technology Crime Laws	Apply privacy and cybersecurity safeguards to voter databases and electoral systems without creating censorship of political opinion.

Transitional Provisions and Implementation Requirements

Within 30 days: Establish the legal and technical transition team and inventory regulations in force, contracts, assets and data centres.

Within 90 days: Publish the plan for transitioning from a separate electoral card to the unified national card, together with the data protection and digital chain-of-custody plan.

Within 180 days: Issue the core regulations covering voter registration, candidacy, campaigns and finance, polling and counting, technology, observers and agents, complaints and appeals, and electoral procurement.

One year before the first election: Publish the seat total, its population-based allocation and the calculation rule, and establish the substantive rules that may not be changed close to polling day.

Financial and Implementation Implications

The Bill does not put forward a falsely precise total cost, because expenditure depends on the date of the first election, the size of the Council of Representatives actually applied, and equipment and logistics contracts. Its effects should be separated into three categories. The first is the parliamentary impact: moving from 329 to 458 seats increases recurring expenditure associated with Council membership and its formations. This results from applying the constitutional formula following a new census, rather than from administrative expansion of the Commission. The Council of Representatives and Ministry of Finance must prepare a published standard cost per seat before the final vote on allocations for the term in which the new total will apply.

The second is the transitional electoral impact: updating systems, integrating the register with the national card, cybersecurity auditing, staff training, publishing station results and expanding manual auditing. A substantial share can be financed by redirecting expenditure on the separate electoral card and reducing parallel systems once integration with national identity is complete.

The third is the cost of preventive integrity measures: code deposit, independent auditing, secure storage, data publication and the internal integrity unit. These items should be measured against the costs of repeat polling, disputes and lost confidence, rather than treated as cosmetic additions. The Law requires the Commission to present, before each electoral cycle, a detailed electoral budget by function and contract, compared with actual expenditure in the previous cycle.

Relevant Standards and Comparisons

The Bill rests on recognised principles of democratic elections: universal, equal, free and secret suffrage, independent administration, effective judicial remedies and stability of fundamental rules. The Venice Commission's Code recommends that fundamental elements of electoral systems, electoral commission membership and constituency boundaries should not be changed during the year preceding an election, as reflected in Article (5) of the Bill. United Nations Human Rights Committee General Comment No. (25) also establishes that Article (25) of the Covenant requires a genuine opportunity for citizens to vote and stand for election without unreasonable restrictions.

The European Union Election Observation Mission to Iraq in 2021 found the elections technically well managed and generally competitive, but recorded problems concerning restrictions on electoral rights, unregulated spending, transparency of aggregation and results, and the limits and deadlines of dispute resolution. The Bill therefore preserves the structures that worked and focuses on weaknesses amenable to legislative and measurable remedies.

Sources and references

Ali Zuweid's Political Programme · POL-03