Ammar Al-Hakim, head of the National Al-Hikma Movement
Media Monitor
Ammar Al-Hakim: ‘It is shameful to have a market for buying both candidates and voters’
BAGHDAD — Ammar Al-Hakim, leader of Iraq’s National Al-Hikma Movement, denounced vote buying and urged a national effort to resolve the country’s chronic electricity shortages during an Eid al-Adha sermon on Saturday.
“It is shameful to have a market and an exchange for buying both candidates and voters,” Al-Hakim said, calling the practice “illicit, forbidden money and a betrayal of the nation and the people.” He proposed a “national honor charter” under which political blocs would pledge not to use money as a tool in elections.
His comments follow allegations that political groups are offering cash or government posts in exchange for votes ahead of Iraq’s parliamentary elections scheduled for Nov. 11, 2025.
In April, security forces in Nineveh arrested a man accused of trafficking more than 1,100 voter identification cards — a tactic used in election fraud schemes to cast ballots using stolen identities, suppress turnout, or provide proof in vote-buying deals. Some cards are also used with complicit officials to inflate vote counts using real voter data.
Former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi previously criticized Iraq’s electoral landscape, saying in a televised interview that the process “lacks competition” and is shaped by “mafia-like values” tied to money. Former Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has also warned of increasing political polarization, foreign interference, and instability, saying the 2025 elections “will be among the most difficult.”
Turning to Iraq’s electricity crisis, Al-Hakim said the issue required urgent national focus. “We need to enlighten public opinion regarding the electricity crisis… Facts must be clarified before our people, and we must identify where the faults lie and who bears responsibility,” he said.
Excerpts from Al-Hakim’s Eid Al-Adha sermon:
Electoral competition must be framed within comprehensive development programs that aim to establish a modern and just government—a government selected and built away from political money and the exploitation of government positions.
Our electoral system must be firm and strict in this regard, regardless of the challenges. This is the only way to preserve the voter’s trust and commitment to elections and to change through the ballot box.
Fair electoral competition must revolve around realistic programs and feasible solutions—not around flashy promises and irresponsible rhetoric. The citizen’s vote is a trust, and their choice is the cornerstone of their children’s future. It is our collective duty to protect this trust and prevent any manipulation or confiscation of it under any pretext.
We need a national honor charter in which all political blocs pledge not to use money as an electoral weapon and to place the greater national interest above all else. It is shameful to have a market and an exchange for buying both candidates and voters. This is illicit, forbidden money and a betrayal of the nation and the people.
We need to enlighten public opinion regarding the electricity crisis, especially during the summer season. This governmental transparency must aim for solidarity and cooperation in facing crises—not for exploitation or inciting the public.
Facts must be clarified before our people, and we must identify where the faults lie and who bears responsibility for the lack of a fundamental solution to the ongoing electricity crisis in Iraq. Despite the succession of governments, budgets, plans, and ideas, we still face difficult and complex challenges in the electric power system every year.
We must agree on specific priorities to be addressed and achieved by every new government, and this should be a shared concern for any incoming administration.
Today, I renew my call to all sectors to support the government in declaring a strategic emergency to fundamentally and finally resolve the electricity crisis. This effort should not be limited to the current government but must continue until this suffocating and ongoing crisis is eliminated. We all must support this. The electricity issue is complex and multifaceted and cannot be pinned on one party alone. The same applies to other files—agriculture, water resources, clean energy, and more. We must lay the foundation for a government of priorities that contributes to nation-building through persistence and continuity.
