Assyrian Democratic Movement Secretary-General Yaqoob Gorgees Yaqo warns of electoral discrimination against minorities in upcoming Iraqi federal elections

BAGHDAD — The Assyrian Democratic Movement (ZOWAA) issued a statement from its Secretary-General, Yaqoob Gorgees Yaqo, regarding Iraq’s upcoming federal parliamentary elections. In the statement, Yaqo revealed that the Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) is preparing to bar parties and political forces representing the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian minority from nominating replacement candidates for quota seats, restricting this right exclusively to general electoral lists

The IHEC has controversially excluded several Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian candidates from the parliamentary track, sparking debate over disqualification criteria and its implications on minority representation. The Commission cited reasons such as violating election laws, failing to meet “good conduct and behavior” requirements, and having a criminal record, despite several candidates providing court documents showing they in fact have clean criminal records. This decision has raised concerns about the transparency of law enforcement and the potential undermining of minorities’ chances of securing genuine parliamentary representation.

“This stands in clear contradiction to the Board of Commissioners’ Decision No. 8, Special Session Meeting Minutes (46), dated 19 August 2025, which in its first clause explicitly states: ‘Allowing alliances and political parties to replace their candidates in accordance with the decisions of the Board of Commissioners within three days from the date of publishing the decision on the official website of the Commission,’” Yaqo said in the statement.

He stressed that such a move would amount to “an act of racial discrimination against minorities, a violation of their political representation rights, and a clear breach of the Iraqi Constitution, whose provisions guarantee equality among citizens regardless of ethnicity, color, religion, or political orientation. It is also inconsistent with the principles of minority rights.”

Yaqo called on the Commission to treat political parties representing national minorities on equal terms with majority parties, “without diminishing their national standing or reducing them to mere numbers.”

In a partial reversal of earlier decisions, the Commission has accepted the appeal of Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian candidate Sargon Lazar Salio, a former ZOWAA politburo member and ex-Iraqi government minister, reinstating him in the elections after his initial exclusion. However, appeals from other barred candidates, including Joseph Sliwa, leader of the Beth Nahrain Patriotic Union (Huyodo Beth Nahrain Athroyo, HBA), remain pending, with no confirmation yet on their potential reinstatement.