‘This is beneficial’: Al-Sadr urges supporters to register for 2025 vote

NAJAF – Iraq’s influential cleric and National Shia Current leader Muqtada Al-Sadr has urged his supporters to update their voter registration records, stressing its importance whether they vote in or boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections.

In a written response to a follower’s inquiry on Wednesday, Al-Sadr instructed his supporters, “Whether you participate in the elections or boycott them, this is beneficial for you. So pay attention to it.”

Al-Sadr’s political bloc, formerly known as the Sadrist Movement, secured 73 of 329 seats in the October 2021 parliamentary elections, emerging as the largest faction in parliament. At that time, Al-Sadr had advocated for a “majority government” that would include key Shia, Kurdish, and Sunni factions while excluding rivals closer to Iran. Failing to form a government to his liking, Al-Sadr withdrew his MPs from parliament entirely.

In April 2024, Al-Sadr rebranded the political movement as “The National Shia Current”—a movement that has undergone several name changes over the years.

Iraq is expected to hold new parliamentary elections in 2025. Uncertainty remains over whether Al-Sadr and his movement will participate, but his call for updated voter registration is seen as a signal regarding his electoral plans.

On Feb. 12, the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission announced that it had officially begun “technical preparations” for the 2025 parliamentary elections. The commission confirmed that elections must be held 45 days before the current parliament’s term ends, with new polling expected in October or November. Registration centers in the governorates are currently carrying out biometric voter registration.

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