Three Iraqi political parties announced their withdrawal and boycott of the early parliamentary elections scheduled for the tenth of next October;
Thus, the number of blocs that announced their withdrawal so far is 5, most notably the Sadrist movement, whose bloc won first place in the last poll.
These parties said that the continued absence of a safe and appropriate environment for holding the elections is what prompted them to take this position.
The last to withdraw and boycott was the list of the Iraqi platform led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
In this context, Wael Abdel Latif, a member of the Iraqi Platform's list, said that his list's decision came after it became clear to it that there is no safe environment and sound conditions for holding elections, pointing to the continuation of uncontrolled weapons and political money.
The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, announced last Thursday not to participate in the early parliamentary elections, and al-Sadr criticized the state of rampant corruption in the country, and said in a televised speech, "In order to preserve and save what remains of the country, which was burned by the corrupt and they are still burning, we inform you that I will not participate in this The elections... the country is more important and more precious than all that."
Al-Sadr also stressed at the time that he decided to lift his hand from all participants and members of the current and future government, and that "everyone is under account", considering that "what is happening in Iraq is an international demonic scheme to humiliate the people and bring them to their knees because of fear of those who seek reform and eradicate corruption."
The "Sairoon" bloc led by al-Sadr - one of the most influential figures in Iraq - was the biggest winner in the 2018 parliamentary elections, with 54 seats in the 329-seat parliament.
The boycott of the Sadrist movement was followed by the announcement of the Iraqi Communist Party and the National Dialogue Front led by Saleh al-Mutlaq, respectively, to boycott the upcoming legislative elections, in addition to the boycott of other forces close to the popular movement.
In early July, the Independent High Electoral Commission announced the participation of 3,243 candidates representing 44 coalitions and 267 parties, along with independents, to compete for 329 seats in the Iraqi parliament.
Observers fear that these withdrawals will affect the election date itself. While many political parties have warned against postponing the elections, others have said that holding the elections in such circumstances will deprive them of their primary objective.
These parties stress the need for a safe environment, free from uncontrolled weapons, political money, and external interference.
It is believed that any elections that do not contribute to a real change in the existing political scene will lead to more instability, and may open the door wide to a setback that is difficult to remedy.
The upcoming early elections were one of the demands of popular protests that have erupted in the country since October 2019, and the next parliament will grant confidence to the president of the country, who will in turn assign the head of the major bloc to form the government, according to the constitution.