Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission faces accusations of marginalizing Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian components after barring Joseph Sliwa from upcoming parliamentary elections

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has come under fire from Iraqi Christian circles, particularly within the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian community, after its decision to bar Joseph Sliwa from contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Sliwa, head of the Beth Nahrain Patriotic Union (Huyodo Bethnahrin Athroyo, HBA) and a former member of the central parliament in Baghdad, was excluded from the race in a move that has sparked widespread outrage among community leaders. 

The IHEC defended its decision by invoking Article 7, Clause Three, of Election Law No. 12 of 2018 (as amended), which permits the exclusion of candidates accused of offenses involving “breach of integrity” or “financial and administrative corruption.”

However, Sliwa, a leading representative of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian, firmly rejected the allegations. He stressed that his judicial record is “entirely clean” and noted that he has never held any government office that could expose him to charges of financial or administrative misconduct. 

In a Facebook post, Sliwa stated:

“Those who are confident in themselves do not fear the dark forces at work. We abide by Iraqi laws and respect them, but we will not submit to political revenge, nor will we sell out our national and communal causes — the distinct identity of our Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people — to become pawns of suspicious agendas for the sake of securing a parliamentary seat. Our understanding of parliament and its role is that it is the house of the people, from which we defend the people and build the nation by exercising our legislative and oversight duties. It is not, as these dark forces perceive it, a company that generates money and profits, cuts deals, and mortgages our people’s causes to outside interests.” 

“The documents prove our integrity and the cleanliness of our hands,” Sliwa further asserted. “At the appropriate time, we will have the appropriate response.” 

Sliwa was not the only figure affected by the Commission’s rulings. In recent weeks, similar decisions have been issued against other Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian candidates, including Issam Behnam Matti Yaqoub, Sargon Lazar, Sliwa Koral, Burhan al-Din Ishak Ibrahim, and Dunia Akram Shaba. The wave of exclusions has provoked widespread outrage among Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian activists, who denounce the measures as a form of “systematic exclusion” that threatens the political representation of Christians and the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people in Iraq. 

Read Also: Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission excludes Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian candidates, sparking debate on minority representation 

For many observers, the exclusion of Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian candidates cannot be seen in isolation from the broader decline in smaller indigenous component’s representation in Iraq since 2003. Analysts warn that the Commission’s decisions pose a dual threat: they not only strip the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian community of its constitutionally guaranteed seats but also risk erasing the presence of a people deeply rooted in Iraq’s history — from Nineveh and Mosul to Baghdad and the surrounding plains. 

Beyond the legal arguments, the controversy raises a pressing question: Is Iraq moving toward genuinely strengthening equal citizenship and preserving pluralism, or is the path of exclusion becoming entrenched, reducing the concept of national partnership to little more than a slogan? 

For the Chaldeans–Syriacs–Assyrians, the answer may be existential. Their survival in Iraq is no longer just a matter of numbers or representation but a question of recognition as an integral part of the country’s fabric, its present, and its future.