Judicial chief vows ‘impartial oversight’ ahead of Iraq’s 2025 elections

BAGHDAD — President of the Supreme Judicial Council Faiq Zidan on Friday said Iraq’s judiciary is committed to ensuring “impartial oversight” of the upcoming parliamentary elections, calling elections “the foundation of any democratic system.”

In a statement issued ahead of the vote scheduled for Nov. 11, 2025, Zidan said elections are “the means through which the people express their will in choosing their representatives in the legislative and executive branches,” describing the process as a direct exercise of political participation.

Voter turnout in Iraq’s previous two elections was historically low. The 2018 vote saw a participation rate of 44.5%, one of the lowest since the U.S.-led invasion. That figure dropped further in the 2021 early elections, held after widespread anti-government protests, with only 41% of registered voters casting ballots, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission.

Zidan called on all political forces and candidates to adopt “a unifying national discourse,” avoid sectarian or ethnic incitement, and promote “a spirit of citizenship and belonging to the state.”

The judiciary, he said, is fully committed to protecting voters’ voices and safeguarding the integrity and transparency of the electoral process in coordination with the Independent High Electoral Commission.

Sa’ad Al-Battat, head of the Ayin Election Monitoring Network, warned earlier of a “blatant rise in hate speech and sectarianism” in the lead-up to Iraq’s parliamentary elections, citing campaign violations, lack of enforcement, and concerns over election oversight.

Statement from Supreme Judicial Council:

Elections are the foundation of any democratic system and the means through which the people express their will in choosing their representatives in the legislative and executive branches, as a concrete exercise of citizens’ right to political participation and determining their country’s future.

Elections grant legitimacy to authority, ensure peaceful power transitions, and prevent the monopolization of rule and authoritarianism. They represent the will by which officials are held accountable and provide the public with the opportunity for renewal or change based on performance and public interest.

With parliamentary elections scheduled for November 11, 2025, the importance of active participation is highlighted for every citizen who believes that reform and change are achieved through peaceful and constitutional means, as clearly embodied in elections.

In this context, all political forces and candidates are urged to adhere to a unifying national discourse, avoiding sectarian or ethnic incitement, and to promote a spirit of citizenship and belonging to the state.

The judiciary, in accordance with its constitutional and legal mandate, affirms its full commitment to impartial oversight, the protection of voters’ voices, and the assurance of the integrity and transparency of the electoral process at all stages in coordination with the Independent High Electoral Commission.

The judiciary will remain the guardian of the constitution, the guarantor of the rule of law, and the protector of the people’s will.