Iraq’s former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi
Media Monitor
Ex-PM Al-Kadhimi: Iraq’s elections ‘lack competition’, shaped by ‘mafia-like values’
BAGHDAD — Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi criticized Iraq’s political and electoral system in an interview with Alsumaria TV, warning that upcoming elections “lack competition” and are marked by “mafia-like values” driven by money.
“We observed that the upcoming electoral process lacks competition, and citizen participation will be limited,” Al-Kadhimi said, citing apathy and the absence of electoral platforms. “The influence of money has overtaken political projects, creating mafia-like values within the electoral process.” Iraq’s next parliamentary elections are scheduled for Nov. 11, 2025.
He reiterated his support for a presidential system to replace Iraq’s parliamentary model, which he called a failure. “The monarchy in Iraq was the best system,” he said, adding that the current system “was born deformed and produced a distorted experience.”
Excerpts from Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s interview with Alsumaria TV:
After I returned to Iraq, we evaluated the political situation and engaged in discussions with my team. We observed that the upcoming electoral process lacks competition, and citizen participation will be limited. There is apathy, and we noticed the absence of electoral political platforms. The influence of money has overtaken political projects, creating mafia-like values within the electoral process.
It is unreasonable that for every election we design an electoral law to suit the winning blocs. With every provincial council, a law is tailored for certain parties. We should have a fixed law that only changes according to real developments. I do not want to be a false witness in these elections.
In 2021, I had the option to participate in the elections while the state’s executive apparatus was under my authority, but I chose not to so that it would not be said the Prime Minister used public funds and state resources for the campaign.
Every time we witness agreements to form the government, consensus politics threatens the political system. There is no democracy without a government and an opposition. Some say Baghdad is only for Sunnis, others say it’s only for Shiites — this is a repugnant discourse.
I am not calling for a boycott of the elections. I have reservations about some mechanisms. The political system was born deformed and produced a distorted experience. The consensus system in Iraq and Lebanon has proven to be a failure.
We need to change our political system — meaning to amend and reform it, not overthrow it.
The monarchy in Iraq was the best system. The parliamentary system failed and led to the 1958 revolution.
I call for a new Iraqi presidential system with a parliament and a prime minister who is not constantly under threat. The Kurds should be reassured about the presidential system and that they will not be harmed by it. Perhaps this reassurance can come in the form of granting them a confederation.
Transitioning to a presidential system must be a purely Iraqi decision. Betting on foreign decisions is a grave mistake, as if we are not mature. We need to enter a new dialogue and establish a new social contract.
In a presidential system, the citizen’s vote is not lost. When the president makes a mistake, the people hold him accountable in the next term. In contrast, you give your vote to a parliamentarian and just wait.
What happened in Tishreen [October protests] was a strong message to all political elites to reconsider their performance. Most political forces want a presidential system but speak of it timidly.
Weapons outside the state embarrass political decision-making and damage the state’s image abroad. They have no legitimacy under any pretext. Lebanon paid a heavy price for allowing weapons outside the state, as did other countries like Syria.