November election campaign spending tops $3B
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq’s election campaign spending has likely exceeded four trillion dinars (about $3B), economist Manar al-Obaidi warned on Wednesday, describing the figure as “enormous.”
In a Facebook post, al-Obaidi estimated expenditures based on the number of candidates and the scale of advertising, noting that even conservative projections place the total between three and four trillion dinars, “if not more.”
He criticized the lack of transparency surrounding campaign finance, pointing out that despite the surge in traditional and digital outreach, “there’s little clarity on funding sources, spending patterns, or financial backers.”
Responsibility for oversight, he emphasized, lies with several institutions: the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), the Central Bank’s Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Integrity Commission, the Federal Board of Supreme Audit, and the Communications and Media Commission (CMC).
Al-Obaidi called on lawmakers to pass legislation requiring political parties to disclose all funding sources and expenditures, arguing that transparency is essential to protecting democracy and preventing money from distorting voter choice.
Read more: Financial muscle: How money shapes Iraq's upcoming elections
Under Elections Law No. 9 of 2020, IHEC must audit campaign financing, while Law No. 39 of 2015 authorizes the Anti-Money Laundering Office to investigate suspicious financial flows in coordination with security and judicial bodies.
Article 4 (III) of the Anti-Money Laundering Law mandates the office to handle cases involving illicit funding and terrorism-related finance. The Integrity Commission and Audit Board monitor public fund abuse, and the CMC enforces media regulations to prevent misuse of state-owned outlets during campaigns.
Iraq’s November 11 elections will select 329 members of the Council of Representatives through a proportional representation system, replacing the 2021 single non-transferable vote model. Of nearly 46 million Iraqis, more than 21.4 million are eligible to vote, including over 3 million in the Kurdistan Region.
IHEC has so far disqualified over 800 candidates, citing the Accountability and Justice Law, criminal convictions, or unresolved legal cases.
Read more: Elections on schedule, legitimacy in doubt: Iraq heads toward November vote
